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What's wrong with Auston Matthews?

"Report: Auston Matthews re-aggravates existing injury, out for Saturday and questionable for Monday"

Translation from Leaf-speak: he's out until well into January.

Hoping I'm wrong but at least we know they generally play well when he's out.
 

I really don't get decisions like these. If he's not good enough to play tonight you absolutely just sit him Monday too so he's off through at least the whole Christmas break. That's a no brainer.

(I fully except him to miss multiple games considering the teams definition of day to day at this point)
I think it is time we leave "Hans Christian" Berube quotes on Leafs medical forecasts / timelines to the young Leafs fans.
It is getting pretty stupid now.

Facts we know:
it is a chronic injury they are trying to 'manage' - corroborated by their own comments
It is susceptible to reinjury - as evidenced by his maintenance days and recent cross check that they corroborated
It is compromising his performance - he's a fraction of his former self - we see that with our own eyes and sprinkled throughout nearly all his stats
If there was an in season medical solution, reason tells us they would have done it already.

There is no lipstick for this pig. It is ugly no matter how you look at it.
 
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If it’s a surgery that requires a couple of months rehab I’d honestly rather he had it now and maybe got back a few weeks before the playoffs.

The fact they’re putting it off might even suggest he wouldn’t be back by then and would need the equivalent of an off season to recuperate/it could end his season completely.

Which ever way you try and skin it, seemingly it’s not good.
 
A bit like Eichel, though, I hope that ultimately he gets whatever is the best treatment for him as an individual.
 
Elliotte Friedman starts discussing Matthews injury at 13:45 or so for 4-5 mins
He says this
"I think that there's a couple of things here. Number one, it is very clear that Matthews wants to play through it. He wants to keep playing. I think a) because players want to play, and b) as the captain, he feels he needs to set an example and to me, it's clear he wants to play. I think then it becomes a question of if a player thinks he's healthy enough to play, can the organization force somebody not to play if they are really concerned about it. I'm sure the Four Nations is apart of this. I'm sure he wants to play in that and I'm sure everybody putting on that tournament would like to see him play in that. I think there is probably a little push and pull there... I think we'll see this develop on a game in, game out basis as the season continues. He's going to have a few days off now... I think the one thing that is obvious here is that everybody in the league saw that highlight where Gilbert cross-checked him and as the games get more meaningful we all know that is going to happen a lot more often."

He says that he hasn't detected any panic with the Leafs on the injury.
Those discussing this seem collectively suspicious it is a back injury.
They fear increased targeting of the injury as the games get more important
 
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Tomas Holmstrom used to get a lot of cross checks standing in front of the net
I wonder if they'll add padding like that to help protect Matthews
(they've probably improved on it)
 
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