The Toronto Maple Leafs got here into the season with the hope that this could be the yr that they may assert themselves within the Atlantic Division and possibly rise to first place before having the type of run within the playoffs that might bring them their first Stanley Cup since 1967. As a substitute, the Maple Leafs have fallen flat and so they are fighting to remain out of the division’s cellar.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 19, 2026
Along with struggling to place together winning efforts on a nightly basis, their captain and best player Auston Matthews is out for the season following surgery on his medial collateral ligament. Matthews was injured in a collision with defenseman Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Geese last week, and it was clear after the knee-on-knee hit that Matthews wouldn’t play one other game this season.
Nevertheless, the announcement by the team that Matthews had undergone surgery was a little bit of a surprise. While surgery is the traditional procedure following an ACL injury, it isn’t at all times obligatory with the MCL. The announcement of the surgery also included that the recovery time is anticipated to be 12 weeks.
If that’s accurate, Matthews should find a way to coach throughout the summer and would likely be ready for the beginning of coaching camp in September. He would then be ready for the star of the 2026-27 season in October.
While Matthews was the captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. team within the recently accomplished Winter Olympics, he has endured a troublesome season with the Leafs. He has scored 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in 60 games. That is a far cry from the player who scored a team-record 69 goals in 2023-24. Matthews had never scored fewer than 33 goals in a season prior to this season.