Auston Matthews just showed everyone his injuries are a thing of the past

Auston Matthews' injury issues are a thing of the past after the Maple Leafs captain showed an immense burst of speed that puts to bed any concerns.

With the Maple Leafs taking the ice for their first preseason game of the 2026-27 season, all eyes were on Auston Matthews and how he would respond after recovering from an MCL tear suffered last year.

He looked sharp and had an assist on Darren Raddysh's goal, also adding six shots, which had to give teammates, coaches and fans a lot of reassurance that he's back to his usual self. Not only that, though, but there's another huge positive to take away from the game.

Auston Matthews shows vintage form on Saturday nightMatthews managed to show some pretty impressive speed on Saturday night, and actually reached a burst of 35 km/h, which is stunning considering he is coming off such an intense surgery.

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Also to note, all of last season Matthews had eclipsed that threshold twice; meanwhile, he did it already in game one of the preseason. If this is a sign of things to come for Matthews and the Maple Leafs, they may be back in business sooner rather than later.

He entered the zone with confidence; he wasn't hesitating on shots; he was fast; he was stable - he even got a little physical too:

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It's a great sign for everyone that the captain is not only healthy, but also at the level where he's most dangerous, and it'll be interesting to see how he builds on this performance against Ottawa on Wednesday.

A speedy Auston Matthews is the most dangerous version of Auston Matthews

When Matthews was scoring at will, a lot of that had to do with the fact that he got to the net fast. In 2022-23 he was in the 87th percentile for 35+ km/h bursts, and the 92nd percentile for bursts ranging from 29-32 km/h so it's obvious his speed was a huge asset and led to another 40-goal season.

Having dealt with back injuries and most recently his MCL tear, Matthews has seemed a step behind as of late and couldn't get comfortable like he once could.

Just from the looks of things on Saturday night, it felt like the captain of old. Though he didn't score, he looked worlds different than he did the two seasons prior.

We will have to see how sustainable this current version of Matthews is, but if he can continue to prove that his speed and shot have returned, then it's only a matter of time before he produces.

Then it's very likely whatever ailments that held him back are now far behind him as he pushes forward.

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