Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews undergoes wrist surgery; may miss part of training camp
The Daily Goal Horn
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Auston Matthews played through pain last season. Despite being hampered by a wrist injury he was still able to take home some NHL hardware.
On Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs center and the NHL’s reigning goal scoring champion, underwent wrist surgery.
The team termed the operation a success and put a six-week timetable on his return. With the regular season set to begin Oct. 12, Matthews likely won’t miss any official games, though he might miss part of training camp.
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Auston Matthews has surgery on wrist
Matthews hurt his wrist during on-ice training, according to the Maple Leafs, who added that the decision regarding surgery was made by the team’s medical staff along with outside specialists.
Matthews scored 41 goals in 52 games last season to capture the Maurice Richard Trophy (NHL goal leader). His 12 game-winning goals also were a league high, and he tied for fifth with 66 points.
He finished as runner-up to Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy (most valuable player).
“He’s had a tremendous season yet not a smooth season,” Keefe said May 18, two days before the series began. “We all know he’s been dealing at different times with injury situations that have directly impacted his ability to shoot and handle the puck, and so that makes you wonder what could have happened had [he] been healthy all the way through.”
NHL.com
In five NHL seasons, all with Toronto, Matthews has scored at least 34 goals each campaign, topped by 47 in 2019-20.
The Maple Leafs finished in first place in the North Division last season at 35-14-7 (77 points) before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games during the first round of the playoffs.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report.