It’s been no secret that Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been injured the entire season. Matthews has missed a total of 15 games this season, over two stints, with undisclosed ailments.
Back in November, Matthews left the team to see a specialist in Germany in hopes of getting some sort of treatment for his ailments. The Leafs reported that Matthews was dealing with an upper-body injury, and that was that.
With NHL injury reports being vague, an “upper-body” injury leaves the door open to a number of issues.
Matthews then returned to the lineup and gradually got back to normal. While he didn’t get back to his 60-goal pace, he did surpass the point-per-game mark again this year. But there’s been one thing missing from Matthews’ game: His booming one-timer.
Now, I will say this: Auston Matthews has grown and matured as one of the best all-around centers in the game. If you line up Sasha Barkov and Auston Matthews, there’s very little difference at this point.
In fact, the only difference between Matthews and Barkov is a Selke.
Back to Matthews’ injury. For once, I agree with Don Cherry, whose theory about the reasons behind Auston Matthews’ recent slump, actually makes some sense.
In a recent edition of Don Cherry’s Grapevine, he delved into the reasons why Auston Matthews has not been scoring. Specifically, Cherry hinted:
"I think he’s hurt. He must be because he’s not shooting the way he can."
That statement points toward the infamous wrist injury. The one that required surgery in 2022.
Interesting…
Cherry added:
"You wonder if his hand is hurting… He is trying to hit the net. He is not trying to miss the net."
That comment underscores a fact pointed out by Luke Fox following Game 3 against the Panthers in which Matthews led the playoffs with 19 missed shots on net.
Auston Matthews leads the playoffs in shots missing the net (19).
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 10, 2025
Additionally, Tim, Cherry’s son, made an interesting comment regarding Matthews taking a shot off his hand during the Ottawa series.
It’s hard to pinpoint the precise moment something like that could have happened, but it makes sense that that’s where things stand with Auston Matthews.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ power play evidences Auston Matthews is hurt
Looking at the Leafs’ power play in Game 4, the evidence is clear that Cherry is on to something. The way the Leafs’ power play has been set up the last couple of Games, Matthews has been roaming the offensive zone, trying to get open and making plays instead of hanging out in the slot waiting for the one-timer.
William Nylander and Mitch Marner have tried to unleash the one-timer at various points, to little success.
In my estimation, this situation explains why Craig Berube went to the unorthodox five-forward power play unit. I don’t like it and the Leafs have already been burned with that setup in the Panthers’ series.
It would make a lot more sense to have Morgan Rielly play D, with Matthews and company utilizing Matthews’ shot as the main weapon. However, the Panthers know there’s no threat of the shot coming, leaving the Leafs with little options on the man advantage.
Ultimately, getting a couple of extra days in between Games 4 and 5 will benefit the ailing Leafs. Matthews and the rest of the crew will get a couple of extra days off, helping heal whatever ailments may be befalling the team.
Fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Auston Matthews and company come out with a much stronger performance in Game 5.