Auston Matthews reveals injury affected him the entire season

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews met with the media today before heading home for the offseason and he made sure to drop a bit of a bomb on reporters before bidding adieu.

Matthews revealed that he had been dealing with an undisclosed injury all season long that he first experienced in training camp.

From Matthews himself:

"Got injured in training camp. Obviously wasn't feeling great through the first month or so of the season and took some time off. Went to Germany and did all these things to try to feel better and then finally got to a place where I felt like I could manage it. Definitely a tough year physically. But with some time off... I'm confident that I'll be back next season 100%."

- Auston Matthews

Read below for our earlier reports on the Leafs' media wrap up day.

It sounds like Mitch Marner is DONE with the Toronto Maple Leafs, even if head coach Craig Berube wants him back.

Berube met with the media this morning following the Leafs' season ending loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on Sunday night. When asked about the futures of pending unrestricted free agents Marner and John Tavares, Berube expressed that he'd like both players back on new contracts next season.

Meanwhile, if you read between the lines, it doesn't sound like Marner is terribly interested in remaining with his hometown team.

When asked this morning about a potential return to Toronto, Marner wouldn't commit.

“I’ve always loved my time here… I haven’t processed anything yet.”

“It’s so fresh. It’s tough to anything right now, future wise. I was hoping to be playing hockey right now… I’ll sit down with my wife and decide (next steps) in the coming weeks.”

- Mitch Marner

Does that sound like a guy who is keen to re-up with his team?

And you know what? Maybe it's for the best?

NHL insider Chris Johnston recently detailed some clashes with fans that Marner has had over the years that may have shaped his future with the team. From Johnston's most recent podcast episode:

“If there's two things that have made Toronto not a place that Mitch Marner is all that eager to keep playing in, it would be his original contract negotiation back in 2019, which he and his camp extended into training camp. He signed after a day or two of missing camp that year. But that's when the fans started to turn on him.”

“And, you know, Mitch gave interviews at that time, said it was the first time he'd ever been yelled at. He was walking his dog once, and some guy that summer was yelling like, “Why don't you have a contract?” And people started talking a lot about his dad and what role his dad may or may not have played in those negotiations.”

“And Mitch kind of bristled at his family being brought into it. And then on top of that, in the six years that followed, when the playoff success wasn't there, you know, a lot of it was aimed his way. And I will say, much of it justified, but I'm aware of a few incidents that Mitch had to deal with, and there's probably more that I don't know about, where it bordered on harassment.”

“And it was very uncomfortable for him and people he cares about. And, you know, there's even an incident after this game that we're not going to get into here because I don't want to give it any more life. But, you know, people, it crossed the line a lot of times with some of the, you know, whatever we want to call them, the fanatics and the fan base, the crazies that, you know, people almost took it too personally, I think.”

- Chris Johnston

The pending unrestricted free agent likely played his final game as a member of the Leafs Sunday night in a lacklustre Game 7 in which Marner went pointless with just two shots on goal. It was yet another disappointing Game 7 for Marner, despite his protestations for his teammates to "WAKE THE F*** UP!"

Marner would give the puck up, leading to a Panthers goal on the very next shift, by the way...

After the game a dejected and depressed Marner reflected on his time with his hometown team, making it fairly clear that his time in Toronto has come to an end. I mean... just listen to him yourself:

When asked if he would like to return to the Leafs, all Marner had to say was, "Yeah, we'll see what happens," while shaking his head the entire time.

Again, does this seem like a player who is committed to his team?

He's already talking about the Leafs in the past tense:

“It meant everything,” he said. “(They) took maybe a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto and I’ve been forever grateful to be able to wear this Maple Leaf, and be a part of some of the great legends here and be able to wear this jersey.

“So never taken a day for granted, and I always loved it.”

Yep... he's done. I'd be shocked if he returns to Toronto next season.

Meanwhile Tavares is singing a bit of a different tune. He told reporters today that he's hopeful a deal can be made after discussions with both Berube and GM Brad Treliving.

Tavares' contract with the Leafs expires this offseason and there's was speculation that he would not be retained by management after seven seasons with his hometown team. An emotional Tavares was asked on Sunday evening about the possibility of moving on and what it meant for him to represent the Leafs during his tenure, that's when he made it clear that he would like an opportunity to remain with the club for next season.

Check it out:

While I feel for Tavares, personally I don't see how they can bring him back next season. To me, there's more value in turning the page and moving on from the Tavares era than anything Tavares could bring on the ice. 

Still... it sounds like the team is open to his return.

When you look back at the Leafs under Tavares, they've mostly been a disappointment. Looking back at things it's easy to see where the trajectory of things changed. Former GM Kyle Dubas elected to chase after Tavares at $11 million per season while walking away from Nazem Kadri at $4.5 million per season. Kadri was the heart and soul of the Leafs at the time and went on to be a very effective player for the Colorado Avalanche during their 2022 Stanley Cup run. To me, this decision was the largest mistake made by Dubas and Leafs President Brendan Shanahan. It's time to move on from that mistake and move forward with new leadership in place if this team hopes to shed the mistakes of the past.

Thoughts, Leafs fans? Would you welcome JT back on a team-friendly contract? Or should the Leafs leave the past in the past?