Auston Matthews sat down with Ryan Leslie and explained how he feels after his MCL surgery and opened up about the true nature of his injury status.
Matthews took the time to sit down with Leslie, Toronto's boots on the ground reporter, who often finds a way to bring a human element to the bigger picture. In a 9-minute interview, Matthews touched on his injury status, how he envisions this season, and his thoughts on Toronto's offseason moves.
But it was his injury status and health that was going to be the biggest talking point and to hear it directly from the captain's mouth can only set aside any anxiety that the Maple Leafs fanbase has.
Auston Matthews confirms a clean bill of health: 'Best I've felt in a long time'
From the sounds of it too, Matthews is absolutely geared up and ready to go. Explaining his recovery and how he currently feels to Leslie, the captain made it clear that his health is no longer a concern and this season is time to get back to business:
I'm feeling really good. Tough way to end the season last year...but I am coming back the best I've felt in a long time so obviously excited to get going here. [On rehab] - it was long, you're in pain, you're processing it but the rehab and everything flew by and it was good to get back on the ice.
To hear that Matthews is not only healthy but also feeling 'the best he has in a long time' is a stark contrast to the player we've seen struggle for the past two seasons. If all of his health concerns are indeed behind him, then we could be looking at the hungriest and most motivated Matthews we've ever seen.
While this obviously doesn't guarantee that something couldn't happen to the captain, the fact that he's at 100% by his own admission, and with a brand new Sport Performance Department that added one of the best fitness coordinators in Andy O'Brien - Matthews could find that durability that's plagued him recently.
What does a successful season look like for Auston Matthews?
While we are not going to sit here and say a failed season is Matthews not hitting 50 goals, because that level of production is rare regardless of the player. But what we can take away from if he's healthy or not is consistency.
If Matthews is firing pucks at will, not taking that extra second to think, use his strength and size and getting 7-8 shots per game then it's a much better sign that he's back to his old self. If he manages to score a few goals, then have a stretch where he doesn't shoot the puck or score, it's going to become another injury question or worse - a regression problem.
With Gavin McKenna on his wing, and the potential to have Jack Roslovic or even possibly William Nylander on his line, Matthews is going to be set up to succeed, it's just up to him to get it done. There's no excuses anymore, and that long sought after playmaker is now firmly in the team's plans for the next two decades.
50 goals would be a sweet bit of vengeance for Matthews, and a Stanley Cup would be even sweeter. But the best thing that he can do for not only himself but for his team and the passionate, loyal fans?
Be the old Auston Matthews.
Do you believe Auston Matthews is 100% healthy?
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