Auston Matthews Made One Change That Could Define the Maple Leafs' Season
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
In a new article from Jonas Siegel speaking with Craig Berube, the Maple Leafs head coach mentioned Auston Matthews made one change that could play off in a big way.
A lot of the concerns last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs centered around captain Auston Matthews' injury status, considering he was dealing with some mysterious ailment since the beginning of the year.
Heading to German for medical opinions, constant changes to his status, and a career-low 33 goals made everything look as if Matthews had seriously taken a step back and might not be that dominant force he once was.
What Matthews' Offseason Adjustment Means for His Health
However, head coach Craig Berube seems to have a good idea as to what may have been the cause of Matthews' injuries and he might be onto something.
Speaking to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel, Berube was asked about how he feels about Matthews going into 2025 and the bench boss revealed that the captain seriously bulked up which may have been the cause of his step back last year:
He does look very good. I think he's stronger this year; he's put a little weight on. I think he talked about maybe he thought he was a little too lean last year. And he's feeling a lot better than he has, which is a very good sign.
Matthews came in last season weighing roughly 215 pounds however has been near the 225-230 mark earlier on in his career. People often forget Matthews is not a small guy, and at 6'3, he needs to have that extra weight to balance him out.
Bulking up will not only help with him stay healthy, but it should hopefully translate into a heavier shot and if he's not hesitant to let it fly, he could easily regain his scoring prowess.
Why Matthews' New Approach Could Elevate the Maple Leafs
There's no two ways around it. A healthy Matthews is a dominant Matthews.
When he scored 69 goals? He missed one game. His 60-goal campaign saw him miss nine games however that's still nothing compared to the 15 games he missed last year while also scoring a career-low.
We all know what he can do when he's on the ice, but it's staying there that seems to be an issue. Matthews has missed 109 games so far in his career, and if he continues with that pace it'll average out to about 12 games missed per season.
If knowing he needs to be bigger and stronger to offset any potential injuries or getting knocked about too easily, that's a huge step towards staying healthy for a longer period or time and with him firmly in his prime; it's better to sort it out now than later.
We've also never seen a healthy Matthews without Marner, so if he's going to lead by example and take charge AND healthy? That could lead to some insane numbers.
So thankfully it seems like Auston Matthews' injury woes are behind him; at least we desperately hope so.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 9 | 835 ANSWERS Auston Matthews Made One Change That Could Define the Maple Leafs' Season Do you believe Auston Matthews is healthy? | ||
| Yes | 491 | 58.8 % |
| No | 344 | 41.2 % |
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