Insider Reveals His Urgent Plan for Auston Matthews' Injury Rehab
A lot of speculation surrounds if and when Auston Matthews is going to return soon, but for David Pagnotta, he believes the best course of action is a lengthy one.
It's not been a fun end to the year for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with them being 5-5-0 over their last 10 games and the fact that Auston Matthews is out yet again after his nagging injury keeps him away from the team.
Knowing he's at least out against the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals in the Leafs back-to-back, it's starting to get concerning.
Though NHL insider David Pagnotta thinks the best case scenario for Matthews and the Leafs is a long-term stint on the shelf:
Toronto Has Enough Firepower To Weather The Storm
Though it hurts to have Matthews out again for a potentially extended period of time again, Toronto needs not to fret.
Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have all played exceptionally this season, and with a bigger role given their captain's injury, they'll carry the load.
Not to mention the sudden emergence of Toronto's third line with Nick Robertson, Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Suddenly a viable scoring option for Craig Berube, if they can get on a hot streak and continue it throughout the beginning of 2025 it'll be a huge burden off their stars' shoulders.
There's always the potential for Brad Treliving to make a trade in order to gather reinforcements, although he might need to do some extra homework and make sure he's not going to overpay for a short-term issue. Unless Toronto falters completely, he shouldn't act too rashly when it comes to making a deal.
Toronto's schedule going forward isn't necessarily a reprieve from their grueling December slate. January offers no back-to-back games but they have several games where they are sitting on one day of rest; not conducive to helping their injured players heal properly.
With a strong push without their captain, the Leafs can set themselves up for a wildly successful run and prove they can handle things when the tough times arise. It's going to be a tough stretch, but if anyone can handle it; it's this year's version of the blue and white.
