TORONTO, Ontario — Auston Matthews has taken a transatlantic flight in search of clarity regarding his health and an expedited return to the ice for the Maple Leafs.
Following a practice on Tuesday, the team’s general manager Brad Treliving revealed that Matthews, who has been sidelined since November 5 due to a nondescript upper-body injury, is in Germany consulting with a doctor he has previously seen.
“It’s more of a general checkup,” Treliving stated during an impromptu meeting with reporters. “But also to address the injury specifically.”
Matthews, who has already missed six games and will be absent for a seventh when Toronto faces off against the Vegas Golden Knights, has only managed to skate twice since his last game on November 3.
Treliving mentioned that a team physician accompanied the star forward to Europe. With the Leafs scheduled for only two games this week, the organization decided to maximize the downtime for Matthews’ recovery.
Treliving opted not to divulge any additional specifics about Matthews’ condition but reassured that there have been no setbacks.
“Everything’s progressing well,” he said about the 2022 Hart Trophy winner. “We’re just leveraging these less-frequent games to try to put this issue behind us.”
The Maple Leafs (11-6-2) are already dealing with injury troubles, missing forwards Matthews, Max Pacioretty, and Calle Jarnkrok. They also announced Tuesday that center David Kampf would be unavailable due to a lower-body injury, prompting them to recall Fraser Minten from the minors.
In other team news, forward Ryan Reaves has been handed a five-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse during Saturday’s game.
Treliving commented, “It’s unfortunate to see anyone get hurt. It was a hockey situation that went awry.”
Reaves was present in the locker room after Tuesday’s practice and seemed open to speaking with the media, but the team’s communications staff intervened, stating he was not available for questions.
“We thought the suspension was a bit stringent,” said Leafs center John Tavares concerning the NHL’s decision, which will keep Reaves out of action until December 4. “We stand by him and recognize how impactful he can be.”
Furthermore, forward Max Domi is experiencing a slump of his own, having tallied only six assists and enduring a career-worst 13-game scoring drought, despite being positioned in an offensive role.
After participating in Tuesday’s practice, Domi had missed two others for maintenance purposes.
“He’s pushing through a lot right now; he’s a bit banged up,” remarked coach Craig Berube. “I’m not overly worried; we just need to continue working through these challenges.”