Auston Matthews' Fate Likely Confirmed for Game vs the Panthers After Recent Update
The Toronto Maple Leafs got some huge news as Auston Matthews took to the ice to practice with the team ahead of Wednesday's game vs. Florida.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without Auston Matthews since Nov. 3 with the Leafs captain dealing with an upper body injury. It's been a whirlwind of speculation as fans wondered how severe the injury was.
After returning from a trip to Germany, Matthews was confident that his issues were behind him, and he was focused on going forward. He was a low potential to play Wednesday but was presumed to return on Saturday against Tampa Bay.
Well, Matthews was back on the ice with the team on Tuesday, a great sign he may return on Wednesday, as Craig Berube eluded to.
It's unknown where Matthews will line up and there is no confirmation for him to play Wednesday however this is a massive step forward toward his return.
It's been a slow start so far for the Leafs captain, with only five goals and 11 points before landing on the IR.
What This Means For The Maple Leafs
It means that Toronto will finally get their captain back after three weeks of him being on the shelf.
What started as day-to-day injury turned into a 7-game absence and while Toronto has done extremely well without him, he's still a huge impact player for the team.
Matthews' return means that they are a bit closer to having their players back to full health, and if the captain comes back, the others will follow. Toronto is still without Matthew Knies, Max Domi, and David Kampf among others.
Toronto will need as many reinforcements as possible, as they have a tough two-game Florida road trip coming up. Trying to solidify their spot atop the Atlantic, these next two games are crucial to set the tone going into December.
But the question also remains where does Matthews line up? Surely Toronto will want to ease him back but they don't want him off the top line, and with Mitch Marner's play; it's a tough decision to make.
Fans can just breathe a little bit easier now that Matthews is back on the ice, and all Leafs Nation can hope for is that his injury troubles are far in the past.
FAQ: Auston Matthews Returns To Maple Leafs Practice
Q1: Is Auston Matthews going to play on Wednesday now he's practicing?
A1: It's not confirmed that Matthews will play on Wednesday however head coach Craig Berube has stated that dependent on Matthews' appearance at practice Tuesday and how he feels he could be available for Wednesday's game against Florida, but nothing is official as of yet.
Q2: Is Toronto getting any other players back from injury?
A2: While there is no news regarding the date of any other returning players, it can be assumed that their recovery is going well considering we haven't heard otherwise.
We've seen Matthew Knies in a no-contact jersey, and Max Domi and David Kampf are still out.
In closing, Auston Matthews' return to practice is a massive step forward toward an in-game return, and both his teammates and fans are going to breathe a huge sigh of relief once he's back and healthy, which could be as early as Wednesday.
