Auston Matthews back on ice for the Leafs, eyes return next week

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Auston Matthews came back from Germany with a spring in his step Saturday, but wasn’t too forthcoming about what exactly his upper body injury is. 

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After five days seeing a specialist in Germany, at least some of the mystery about his day-to-day condition that has stretched into three weeks was explained. The NHL goal leader last season spent about 15 minutes skating and shooting before the main Maple Leafs’ practice began.  

“(The injury) flared up in pre-season, felt better and started getting worse,” Matthews told reporters in the Leaf room. “I just felt it was time to take a step back, re-evaluate. It hasn’t necessarily gotten worse, but wasn’t getting better. I wanted to be pro-active.” 

That led to the trip to Munich, which Matthews echoed was with the full co-operation of the team. 

“I wanted to get it taken care of now. You can call it a mistake I made in the past; you want to get back, you start to feel good, want to jump back into the games and maybe you’re not quite ready. (This time) I wanted to make sure I was close to 100 per cent before game situations.” 

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A Leaf spokesman clarified that the doctor in Germany was not unknown to the club, that other Toronto players have used the specialist in the past. 

“I’m not sure (the path he took) is so different,” Matthews said. “In this market, it gets a bit blown out of proportion. But a lot of guys, in the NHL and other leagues, maybe seek second opinions, advice, outside of the team.” 

Last week, Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights applauded Matthews for going that route, after his high-profile blow-up with the Buffalo Sabres about seeking a disc operation the Sabres weren’t comfortable with. 

Now it’s a question of when Matthews can get in a game. He hadn’t played since Nov. 3 and had not skated in more than a week.   

“I’m pretty confident, I want to ramp things up and see how it progresses. From where I was (a few day ago), it’s night and day. 

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“Tomorrow (against Utah) is not realistic, but Wednesday (in Florida) is possible.”  

Matthews said returning to the Leafs as soon a possible is the main goal, but recovery would allow him to play for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. 

“That’s still pretty further along in the future,” he said. “When that time comes, that will be the priority.” 

William Nylander was one of many Leafs grateful to see Matthews back, even though the Leafs’ record is 6-1 without him. 

“We’re missing him a lot out there, the leadership he brings and everything he can do on the ice,” Nylander said. 

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

X: @sunhornby   

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