Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews leaves practice early
Auston Matthews is the key to the Toronto Maple Leafs success this season, and now he's been seen leaving practice early.
Over the past few years, there have been few players in the NHL to consistently perform at the level of Auston Matthews, and with the team handing him the captaincy this off-season, it's clear they believe in him as the future of the team. Heading into 2024/25, he's expected to be the player to finally help them on a deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run, and after goal tallies of 60, 40 and 69 in the last three years, he's become one of the best goal scorers in the NHL.
However, there has been plenty of speculation today at practice, as No. 34 was spotted leaving the ice just 25 minutes into practice, a worrying sign for any Maple Leafs fan.
The report originally comes from The Athletic's Jonas Siegel, with very little indication in the video as to whether Matthews has suffered an injury or is simply heading to the locker room. While this Maple Leafs team is loaded with top end talent, Matthews is the one player that they can't afford to lose, as No. 34 has been the driving force behind their regular season success in recent years, and with the added responsibility of the captaincy, it's safe to say that if they lost him for a significant stretch, it would change the season drastically.
It's unclear exactly what happened with No. 34, and while walking off on his own may give some optimism for the organization and their fans, it's still a very worrying sign to see the captain walking off the ice. With so much responsibility on his shoulders, Matthews can't afford to be injured this early in training camp, meaning the situation may effect the Maple Leafs chances in 2024/25 as they finally look to break their Stanley Cup drought.
| POLL | ||
Will Auston Matthews tally 60 or more goals this season for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 102 | 72.3 % |
| No | 39 | 27.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
