Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews will return to the lineup Saturday against the Lightning, he told reporters Friday, including David Alter of The Hockey News. He’ll need to come off injured reserve, so Toronto must make a corresponding transaction to open a spot on the active roster.
So ends a lengthy saga that’s seen Matthews sit out the last nine games, missing nearly a month with an upper-body injury initially termed day-to-day. While not a significant injury, it was potentially concerning enough long-term for the Leafs to hold him out and for him to even briefly head overseas last week to see a specialist in Germany that he’s worked with before.
Toronto went on quite the run without the services of their star goal-scorer, going 7-2-0 and outscoring opponents 26-18. That was even as additional injuries to top-nine fixtures like Max Domi and Matthew Knies piled up, at one point leaving them without seven of their usual top 12 forwards in the lineup.
That number could drop to five against Tampa, with Knies also taking line rushes alongside Matthews and William Nylander in Friday’s practice, per Luke Fox of Sportsnet. He’s also on IR, so a second corresponding transaction would be required if he’s ready to return.
Things did come to a bit of a head for the Leafs in their last outing, as they lost 5-1 to the Panthers and saw their Atlantic Division lead drop to one point. The pending returns of some important forwards will allow overmatched AHL fixtures like Alexander Nylander and Alex Steeves to return to the farm, as could youngsters Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten.
Matthews’ injury had been plaguing him a bit this season before he exited the lineup, evidenced by his subpar five goals and six assists for 11 points in 13 games. He was shooting at a career-low 8.9% rate, though, so his numbers should come alive in short order with natural regression and improved health. The 27-year-old has taken home the Rocket Richard Trophy three times in the past four years, including last season’s career-high 69 tallies (51 at even strength).
