Maple Leafs Choose New Path for Auston Matthews' Injury Recovery Ahead of Upcoming Schedule, per Darren Dreger

It's been over a week since Auston Matthews last played for the Maple Leafs, suffering an undisclosed upper-body injury that has kept him on the shelf. Toronto has done well in his absence, going 4-1-0 in that span, and perhaps the team should think about keeping Matthews separate from his former linemates.

But Toronto's upcoming schedule offers both the team and Matthews a unique opportunity to heal up and the team is taking no chances with their captain. Per NHL Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs are resting him once again.

It's a good plan too. There's no reason to rush Matthews back especially if the team is concerned he won't be fully over his issues. While we don't know what the ailment is, we are told it's not his wrist that is affecting him; an issue from past seasons. If Toronto is doing well without their captain, they can afford to rest him longer.

The question that remains though is where does Matthews situate himself once he returns?

The powerplay has been buzzing, both Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies have become leaders alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, and the goaltending has been very good, though not perfect. With how good Marner is without Matthews, and him potentially playing his last season in Toronto; he's all-in.

When Matthews returns, presumably against the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 20, Toronto should run with a lineup that looks a bit like this:

McMann -- Matthews -- Nylander
Knies -- Tavares -- Marner
Steeves -- Holmberg -- Domi
Lorentz -- Kampf -- Dewar

Providing Matthews with McMann (who is an underrated piece of this lineup) and Nylander allows Matthews to have the star he needs on his line, but doesn't sacrifice Marner. Nylander and Matthews have chemistry, and adding another big scoring threat to the top line eases Matthews' role.

Marner gets to line up with Knies again but with John Tavares in the middle. Tavares is as much a playmaker as Marner, and both can easily trade off duties and get the other to score more. Knies provides the bulk while Max Pacioretty is out for a few weeks, and his emergence as a potential superstar power forward can't be hampered by his old line.

There's no reason to rush Auston Matthews back, especially if Toronto is confident that enough recovery will get rid of the issue completely. The team is on a roll without their captain, and it would be foolish to put both his health and their momentum at risk.