Auston Matthews' mystery injury causes uncertainty in ex-Maple Leafs GM's prediction of star forward's success this season

Auston Matthews started the 2025-26 NHL season without his top linemate in Mitch Marner, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights this past summer. The Maple Leafs captain netted one empty net goal, off his only shot-on-goal during the 20:31 minutes he played vs. the Canadiens.

Former NHLer turned analyst Nick Kypreos raised a question to ex-Maple Leafs GM Gord Stellick about his expectations from Auston Matthews for the 2025-26 regular season. Kypreos hinted at a potential drop in numbers for the Leafs star owing to the team still experimenting with a replacement for Mitch Marner on the top line.

"They don't owe it to you to tell you what the injury was, but usually at the end of the season, everything comes clean. Is he going to have this mystery injury again? I don't know. I'm very bullish and big on Auston Matthews ..... Matthews has to have a Vladdy Guerrero-type playoff performance. If he scores 15 goals, and plays like Vladdy has so far in the playoffs, I'd be happy. Going for 70 (goals) was fun, but its the other components that need to come together," said Stellick.

Matthews missed 15 games last season due to an undisclosed injury. He even travelled to Germany to meet with a expert Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfart, whom he had consulted in the past as well.

In addition to his mysterious injury, Auston Matthews' goal-scoring habit saw a steep decline due to a new coaching system brought on after Craig Berube's arrival in Toronto, who replaced Sheldon Keefe. In the 2023-24 NHL season, Matthews scored a career-high 69 goals, but ended last regular season with only 33 goals in 67 regular season games.

Also read: "Pants so fire they had to gatekeep" "Looks like his leg is broken": NHL fans react to viral Auston Matthews image posted by Leafs

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Auston Matthews may make financially-motivated exit from Maple Leafs at the end of current contract

Diehard Maple Leafs fan and former NHLer turned analyst, Paul Bissonnette, recently floated a potential scenario of Matthews departing from Toronto, in the hunt for higher-paying money contract. He signed a 4-year, $53 million extension with the Maple Leafs in 2023, and is set to become a UFA in 2028.

"We'll see if he doesn't like elevate his play a little bit more come playoff time, and he ends up wanting to leave for more money. It's a little disappointing," Bissonnette said.

Bissonnette also speculated a "perfect" scenario where, the 28-year-old superstar decides to commit to a long seven or eight-year extension in Toronto, which would solidify his status as the greatest Maple Leaf of all-time.

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Edited by Srihari Anand