Toronto Maple Leafs: How long will Auston Matthews be out?

Auston Matthews suffered another shoulder injury on Saturday night, leading to questions regarding how much time he will miss for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Such is life for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans, even when things are seemingly going well, something still has to go wrong. Another example of this came on Saturday night.

Yes, the Leafs managed to secure a hard-earned, come from behind 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets and maintain their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, the victory was somewhat overshadowed by an injury to Auston Matthews.

Matthews was forced to leave the game early in the second period with a left shoulder injury, when he was checked by Jets’ blue-liner Jacob Trouba. (Yes, that would be the same player who the Leafs have been linked with recently.) It should be noted that the check by Trouba was hard but fair; regardless, the Leafs’ star centre did not return.

Following the game, Leafs coach Mike Babcock updated the media on the injury. As reported by Michael Augello of the Sporting News, Babcock said:

"He’s got a shoulder injury (and) we’ll know more on Monday. He’s not practicing (Sunday) and he won’t be playing on Monday (against Calgary). He’s not ready right away, for sure.”"

This is not the first time Matthews has suffered a shoulder injury. And while last season’s injury was to his other shoulder, it’s still worth considering, when wondering how long he will be out for.

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Last season’s injury happened during February, and he was initially expected to be out for around 10 days. In the end though, he essentially missed a month of action with a second degree shoulder separation.

The length of absence was not necessarily a bad thing, as it showed that Leafs management were taking a cautious approach with the 21-year-old, rather than rushing him back. This is how the team will probably deal with the latest setback to their young star, helped by the fact the team has more offensive firepower this season.

Not that Matthews won’t be missed to some extent, especially after the way he has started this season. He recorded multiple points in each of his first seven games of the 2018-19 campaign.

Some critics will point towards the 2016 first overall draft pick being held off the score sheet in his last four games. However, this just alludes to a lack of understanding of his game, considering all that he does on the ice without the puck.

As a final note, there are some doubt about Matthews, with this now counting as his third shoulder injury. (He also injured his shoulder before entering the NHL.) However, the reality is that a lot of players would have suffered a similar fate, after being on the receiving end of Trouba’s crisp, well-timed hit.

In any event, it’s much too soon to be worrying about Matthews durability. Certainly, Babcock isn’t going to concern himself, as reported by Sportsnet‘s Luke Fox:

"“He did his work this summer to get way stronger, built muscle around his shoulders, wants to protect himself. Sometimes, things happen.”"

Pending how much time Matthews misses, how concerned are you? Or are you confident in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ ability to continue winning during his absence? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.