Matthews skates, could soon return for the Maple Leafs

TORONTO — Auston Matthews skated before practice Saturday and did not rule out returning from an upper-body injury for the Toronto Maple Leafs this coming week.

The centre, who has missed the past seven games, recently returned from a five-day trip to Germany to consult on his injury.

The Maple Leafs host the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, Utah16, NHLN) before visiting the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Matthews participated in an optional morning skate but will not play.

“Today was a good day to get back on the ice,” he said Saturday. “It’s probably been more than a week since I’ve been on the ice, so we’re going to take it day by day, continue to try to progress on the ice and see how this week looks and feels. Obviously, I want to go there. Tomorrow (is) not realistic, but Wednesday (is) possible, but we’ll just see how the week goes.”

Matthews, who has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 games this season, last played on Nov. 3, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Toronto has gone 6-1-0 without him in the lineup.

“It was great,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said of having Matthews back on the ice. “He’s feeling a lot better, which is good. He skated today and he’ll probably be back on the ice tomorrow.”

After his recovery did not progress as hoped, he and the team decided to visit the doctor in Germany, who Matthews and other Maple Leafs players have visited in the past, for further consultation.

“I just wanted to be proactive about it, not that it got worse, it just didn’t feel like I was progressing like I needed to or wanted to,” Matthews said. “I think the team and I just tried to work together and their support obviously meant a lot to get it done and go on the trip and just be proactive about the whole situation.”

Matthews declined to give any details about the nature of it, other than that it was an upper-body injury, although Berube previously said it was unrelated to a wrist injury that led to Matthews having surgery to correct the problem after season 2020-21.

“It kind of flared up in the preseason and then it felt better and then it just kind of got worse, so I thought it was time to take a step back and kind of reassess it and take that day. about day,” Matthews said. “It wasn’t necessarily getting worse, but it wasn’t really getting better, so I wanted to be proactive.”

The Maple Leafs captain said he is “night-and-day” different from where he was initially and is confident the injury is behind him.

“I feel a lot better,” Matthews said. “It’s good to be back and see the guys. I think that was the hardest thing about being away and being injured was not being around the team as much. … I feel a lot better now and we will just continue to progress over the next few days and see where we are.”

When Toronto general manager Brad Treliving first announced on Tuesday that Matthews had traveled to Germany for a consultation, speculation was that it was one for a more serious injury.

But the team said there was no cause for concern and that it was a day-to-day issue.

“I mean, I’m not sure it’s that different, but in this market it’s being blown a little bit out of proportion,” Matthews said. “I think you see it in the NHL as well as in other leagues that maybe seek second opinions or go and seek advice from other areas outside of the team, and it was very supportive from the team here and everything went smoothly from that standpoint .”

Matthews led the league with a career-high 69 goals last season and has scored at least 40 goals in each of the past five seasons. Since entering the NHL in the 2016-17 season, he led the NHL with 373 goals, 30 more than Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who is second.

“It was great to see him back on skates and I asked him, he’s doing well,” forward William Nylander said. “We miss him a lot out there and the leadership he brings and everything he can do on the ice.”

Toronto has won three straight games, including 3-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. They are 41-20-2 all-time without Matthews in the lineup since he entered the league.

“Just guys stepping up and playing some good teams along the way, too,” Matthews said. “I think that’s the sign of a great team. Even the other night against Vegas, six forwards out of the lineup and having to call guys up, guys went in and made an impact and the leaders on our team have stepped up, too, so it’s been great to see.”