Auston Matthews will miss a minimum of four weeks with a shoulder injury and will be placed on injured reserve, the Maple Leafs announced Monday morning.
Matthews suffered the injury during Saturday's Leafs win over the Jets in Winnipeg. The 21-year-old forward was sent to the locker room in pain after taking a big hit from Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba in front of the net.
Auston Matthews heads to the dressing room in clear shoulder pain after a hit from Jacob Trouba in the second period pic.twitter.com/mR2ZOkGVYr
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) October 28, 2018
A closer look at the Jacob Trouba hit that sent Auston Matthews to the dressing room with what looked like a shoulder injury pic.twitter.com/MRRxV7Qn94
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) October 28, 2018
Though the specifics of the injury haven't been revealed, we do know the ailment comes in his left shoulder. Matthews missed a chunk of time last season while dealing with an issue in his right shoulder.
In any case, losing Matthews from the lineup for at least a month is a tough blow for the Leafs, especially considering how well he has played to start the season. The young center currently sits second in the league in goals with 10 and is tied for sixth in points with 16. Toronto (8-3-0) currently holds the Atlantic Division's top spot.
Losing one of your best players for a significant period of time is never ideal, but the good news is the Leafs have one of the deepest forward groups in the league. This summer's offseason signing of premier center John Tavares might look even bigger while Matthews is sidelined in Toronto.
