Shutting down Auston Matthews is now Toronto's only way to save their 2026 first round pick from Boston
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs' worst season in a decade just got worse, and management is facing a critical decision that could extend through the offseason and beyond.
During Thursday's game between Anaheim and Toronto, Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas laid in a dirty knee-on-knee hit to Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, leading to a lot of backlash online and a potential five-game suspension for Gudas.
But right now the focus is on the status of Matthews, and right now it's up in the air due to him undergoing an MRI. Until we know the results there, a lot of fans are going to be holding their breath.
The full Elliotte Friedman call on Auston Matthews
The pending MRI results don't help the situation any. While he did not confirm Matthews was out for the season, Elliotte Friedman did state that him undergoing an MRI to assess the damage was a bad sign:
I mean, he's going for an MRI. That means there's at least a chance he doesn't play again this year.
That's certainly not good news, and until we know the exact extent of the injury, we're left to wonder, but it's an easy choice for a change.
Why the Maple Leafs shouldn't rush Matthews back this season
But Toronto has a chance to do things right by Matthews and keep him out regardless if he's cleared or not. This is a lost season, and it's not like this is a first-time injury for Matthews.
He's been hurt this season, he was looked at as to be hurt as late as last week, and there's no reason to rush him back because you're not trying to win games right now.
If the team brings him back early, then what? He risks potential injury yet again and you're setting him up for one horrible offseason if he keeps playing on broken legs.
Then what do you do for next season? What if he needs six or eight months to heal from his injury - can he be ready for 2026-27? Can we expect another mid-season return from another injured Maple Leaf?
These are questions that can be easily avoided if the team just decides to rest him for the season and get him back to where he needs to be.
And for Toronto, Matthews sitting out isn't just the safest decision, it may be the most important front office call of the entire season.
How a bottom-five finish could save Toronto's season
While it seems counterintuitive, the best case scenario for the team is to lose. There's a real emphasis on trying to maximize the team's odds of a top draft pick, and the worse they are, the better it is.
If Toronto plays middling hockey but does enough to slide out of the top-five, that pick goes to Boston and they get the spoils yet again. First it was Tuukka Rask, then Fraser Minten, and now potentially a franchise cornerstone - Toronto can't afford a hat-trick of failures.
Resting Matthews takes off arguably your best player, and with the focus needing to be on development; it's time to rest the wounded. John Tavares can't be feeling 100%, and neither is Morgan Rielly.
Let those guys sit too and let the young guns come in and see what they can offer for the future. If you're going to lose anyways, may as well make them productive.
From where the team stands now, and Auston Matthews' status up in the air, it's about time the team did something proactive for once and rested their captain.
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Radko Gudas granted phone hearing: Why NHL rules limit suspension to 5 games for Matthews hit
Radko Gudas granted phone hearing: Why NHL rules limit suspension to 5 games for Matthews hit
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 13|907 ANSWERS Shutting down Auston Matthews is now Toronto's only way to save their 2026 first round pick from Boston Do you think the Maple Leafs should play or rest Auston Matthews the rest of the season? | ||
| Play, I wanna win! | 46 | 5.1 % |
| Rest, gimme that draft pick! | 861 | 94.9 % |
| List of polls | ||