Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was the unfortunate recipient of a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks blueliner Radko Gudas.
The hit occurred during the second period of the Leafs' 6-4 win over the Ducks on Thursday night. Gudas leveled Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit that left the 28-year-old agonizing in pain.
Gudas got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. The ejection was justified, but it’s not nearly enough punishment for Gudas’ transgressions.
The Anaheim captain has a history of being a dirty player. Just in the last couple of months alone, Gudas has knocked out two major superstars. During the Olympics, Gudas nailed Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby with a hit during Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Czechia.
Gudas, playing for Czechia, nailed Crosby, knocking him out of the tournament. Crosby was week-to-week following the injury. Crosby has yet to play since the Olympics.
That history warrants the NHL to look into Thursday night’s incident. A suspension would not return Matthews to the ice, but it would, at least, signal that the league is doing something about player safety.
Matthews could be out long-term depending on severity of injury
The reality facing the Maple Leafs is that Matthews could be out long-term. If that’s the case, well, the Leafs might as well just shut him down for the remainder of the season. There isn’t really much to play for at this point other than recouping their 2026 first-round pick.
As such, it would make sense for the Maple Leafs to exercise an abundance of caution and keep Matthews off the ice. If he’s ready to return at some point this season, that’s fine.
What the Maple Leafs must avoid is rushing Matthews back to the ice. There’s no point in doing so. If anything, the Leafs’ captain could use some extended time off. If he’s dealing with anything, the extra time away from the ice could give him a chance to heal and return in the fall, ready to tear things up.