The Toronto Maple Leafs have received some disappointing news regarding the recovery of Auston Matthews. The superstar previously suffered a season-ending knee injury during a matchup with the Anaheim Ducks on March 12. Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas was only given a five-game suspension for the knee-on-knee hit that sidelined Matthews.
A few days after the incident, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Toronto was hopeful that its star player would not need surgery. The Maple Leafs were optimistic that rest and physical therapy would be enough to heal the MCL tear. This, however, does not seem to be the case.
According to a new report by Friedman, Matthews is likely set to go under the knife to fix the issue. “We’ll see when it happens, but it sounds like surgery will be part of Auston Matthews’ recovery,” claims the insider. “There is still plenty of confidence he will start next season on time.”
Toronto has since dropped two of three games without Matthews in the lineup. Despite high expectations heading into the 2025-26 season, the Leafs have struggled throughout the campaign. In fact, the club currently has the third-fewest points in the entire Eastern Conference. They have also played more games than the two teams below them in the standings.
Auston Matthews Could Contemplate Toronto Maple Leafs Future This Summer
GettyAuston Matthews recently led Team USA to an Olympic gold medal.
The disappointing injury update is not the only bit of bad news regarding Matthews and the Leafs. Due to previous trades, Toronto does not currently have a selection in the first two rounds of the upcoming 2026 draft. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler also recently rated the team’s current prospect pool as the 29th-best group in the NHL. Young help is not necessarily on the way.
With the future not exactly looking bright, there are growing concerns around Toronto that Matthews may want to jump ship. Fellow insider Chris Johnston revealed on March 19 that the superstar likely needs a “clear sense of the organization’s direction” before committing his future to the club. Matthews has two more years remaining on his $13.2 million AAV contract. Depending on how that conversation goes, he could potentially ask for a trade this summer.
As Johnston points out, Matthews will be 29 when the 2026-27 season starts and wants to win a Stanley Cup as soon as possible. His recent success captaining Team USA to Olympic gold will likely motivate him even more. According to the insider, fans may know more about the situation in June. Minnesota Wild and Team USA GM Bill Guerin has seemingly attempted to woo Matthews in recent interviews.
Toronto May be Headed Towards a Major Rebuild
It remains to be seen how surgery could affect Matthews’ NHL future. Nevertheless, the superstar was enduring a down year even before he went down on March 12. In fact, his 0.88 points per game average in the 2025-26 season was the lowest figure of his career since his rookie campaign. At his peak, Matthews averaged an impressive 1.45 points per game en route to the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2021-22.
Leafs fans will hope that the surgery fixes a seemingly ongoing issue with Matthews and that he can regain his form from a few seasons ago. If he eventually opts to alter his no-move clause this summer, a complete teardown in Toronto is likely coming, though.
Maple Leafs Receive Bad News on Auston Matthews’ Recovery