Injury Report: Babcock offers update on Matthews’ status

Toronto Maple Leafs fans are on pins and needles these days as they away any developments on the health of superstar forward Auston Matthews. The 20-year-old sophomore sat out his second consecutive game with an “upper body injury” last night as the Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Prior to the game, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel attempted to get an answer our of Leafs head coach Mike Babcock about the severity and nature of Matthew’s injury but was rebuffed. When asked if Matthews underwent NHL concussion protocol, Babcock smugly replied, “I didn’t know he had a concussion.”

When asked about a potential return date for Matthews to the Leafs’ lineup, Babcock offered up, “he’s day-to-day so I think he’s playing every day. Day-to-day is normally 10 days, but we’ll go day-to-day ‘til he’s ready.”

A 10 day absence from the lineup is certainly more than “day-to-day”, no? If that were the case, Matthews would be out for roughly four or five more games. With the team’s play slipping as of late, can they afford to go that long without their superstar centre? The problem is… they may not have any choice in the matter. While Matthews’ is undoubtedly the team’s best player, he’s also their most valuable asset and they can’t risk jeopardizing his career by forcing him to play through injury.