Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
A surprising and sudden roster update has been done with Auston Matthews before tonight’s game vs the CanadiensAnticipated to play tonight against Montreal with the rest of the main team that sat out the Leafs 7-2 win against the Canadiens on Thursday, a new update has changed things.
It’s now expected that Auston Matthews will not play tonight’s matchup for Toronto, and will be sitting out tonight instead as he is not skating with the rest of tonight’s projected roster.
On the first line, Max Domi slides in at center with Nick Robertson alongside Matthew Knies, Domi is competing for a spot on the Leafs first line.
Luke Fox of Sportsnet indicated that Matthews may wait until Toronto’s final preseason game Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, setting Matthews up for two preseason games.
Why the Maple Leafs Are Taking a Careful Approach With Auston Matthews
The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot afford another injury setback with Auston Matthews this season.
Last season showed that the Leafs could function without Matthews as the team continued to win without their captain, but this year a hole is left in the loss of Mitch Marner that makes for less of an offensive scoring punch than last season, and a big chunk of why Toronto was able to pressure forward.
The Leafs need the goalscoring of Matthews to be able to take off, already with the questions over how much not having his longtime setup man Marner will impact him, Matthews is expected to have a bounce back season, and one needed by Toronto.
The absence of Matthews is one in which Toronto will be taking all steps to ensure his health, and make sure they’re not risking anything that will keep their star center from missing the start of the season.
How This Season’s Stakes Make Managing Stars Even More Important
With the injury to Matthews appearing to be precautionary, it is a sign of the Leafs being more willing to manage their group to avoid any sort of burnout or easing him into the start of the season.
Toronto is being cautious and starting the preseason with loan management to get players ready to go to start the regular season at full health.
In terms of injury to their forward group, Toronto has been without Max Domi and Nicolas Roy, both dealing with injuries believed to be short-term issues, with the goal being for them to get preseason minutes.
Toronto is being safe and avoiding the risk of things going wrong, even if it means nothing.
Where the preseason means little but preparation, injuries have been on the thorn of the Leafs, who have seen their divisional rivals Florida get a major loss in Aleksander Barkov after suffering an injury in practice, potentially out for the season.With Matthew Tkachuk also out for Florida until potentially Dec – Jan, the route for Toronto is to play it safe rather than sorry, and avoid an unnecessary injury in playing for a game that has no impact on their Stanley Cup hunt.
What matters for Toronto isn’t about who plays which preseason game, and who sits out, what will matter is who is playing game one, and that they field the roster they want, without any holes causing them to return to the drawing board.
And how they manage their workload is going to heavily depend on whether or not the team manages to come away with another Atlantic Division title.
With Marner gone and Matthews being under caution, Toronto’s margin for error is thin, making navigating their absences a potential defining factor in how the Leafs start their season.
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Maple Leafs Make Intriguing Decision on Auston Matthews Ahead of Canadiens Matchup
Should Auston Matthews sitting out tonight be a concern?