HockeyPatrol has uncovered a new detail in Auston Matthews' offseason preparation, with the Maple Leafs captain working this summer with Arizona-based sports chiropractor Shawn Robek.
A new Instagram post confirms that Matthews is working with Arizona sports chiropractor Shawn Robek. In fact, Robek was the one who revealed the information on his social media account while posing alongside the Olympic Gold Medal-winner.
Matthews has been working this summer with Arizona-based sports chiropractor Shawn Robek, who shared a photo with the Maple Leafs star and praised his work during their sessions.
Auston Matthews has been working with an Arizona sports chiropractor this summer
Shawn Robek is an accomplished sports chiropractor who is also a Rehabilitation Specialist and a Founder of Fix Medical Group.
Robek's Scottsdale practice provides chiropractic and sports-medicine treatment to professional athletes, including NHL players. Neither Robek nor Matthews disclosed what type of treatment Matthews received. Instead, he simply noted that Matthews is always a pleasure to have in the office. This suggests the two have worked together before. Although there is no confirmation that Matthews does, indeed, have a back problem
One of the best parts of surviving the 115-degree Scottsdale heat is getting to work with this guy during the summer. Auston always brings a smile, works hard, and is an absolute pleasure to have in the office.
What is notable is not the type of injury, which remains unknown, but that Matthews is still working with a specialist during an offseason in which his health is one of Toronto's biggest variables entering 2026-27.
Matthews typically spends his summers in his home state of Arizona, so it's not like he's going out of his way for treatment. Robek is close to home, which makes him a convenient option for Matthews' treatment plan.
The Maple Leafs never fully revealed what was bothering Matthews
If you remember, during the 2024-25 season, Auston Matthews was not himself at the beginning of the season. In fact, his performance issues persisted throughout the year, and there were rumblings that he was dealing with a lingering issue.
Matthews' production did decline significantly from his 69-goal 2023-24 season, but Toronto never publicly established that the same undisclosed injury remained responsible for that drop. Matthews' 2024-25 issue was never publicly identified beyond being described as an upper-body injury. His 2025-26 season later ended because of a separate knee injury suffered in March, so there is no public evidence connecting that injury to the treatment he received in Germany or to his current work with Robek.
Robek's post adds one new piece to Matthews' offseason picture: Toronto's captain is continuing specialized physical preparation in Arizona ahead of 2026-27. What it does not reveal is the nature of the treatment or whether it is connected to the undisclosed upper-body issue that affected him in 2024-25.
For Toronto, the real significance will come at training camp, when Matthews' movement, workload and availability provide the first meaningful evidence of how healthy he is entering the season.
Do you believe Auston Matthews can score 50 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Hockey Canada ruling creates dramatically different return paths for five 2018 World Junior players