Toronto Maple Leafs Finally Share Encouraging News on Auston Matthews: Source

When the Leafs lost Auston Matthews it was yet another blemish on a season that has been derailed by injuries. Though the team has done well in the face of adversity, it's still a hard pill to swallow for fans.

With speculation that Matthews might not return until next week, and even then it's a only a possibility, many are concerned this is going to be a season long issue that can heavily sway whether Toronto succeeds or fails in the playoffs.

According to NHL Insider Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs are positive that not only will they be able to narrow down and fix Matthews' injury, but that once they do it'll be history.

While it's hard to feel optimistic given that Matthews hasn't passed the eye test this season, Toronto has some of the best medical staff in all of the NHL and with enough recovery and assessment they can nip this injury in the bud.

The once dominant Matthews has been a shell of his former self this year and has clearly been bothered since the start of the campaign. With only 11 goals and 12 assists, the captain has been unable to steer the ship as he used to.

Toronto has a lot of decision making coming up with regards to Matthews. First, they need to decide if they are going to rush him back for their games immediately after Christmas break; not the best course of action if they want to keep him healthy.

They also have to worry about the 4 Nations Face-Off and while they are unable to block Matthews from playing, the team needs to formulate a plan to convince the captain to take a pass on the tournament in favor of a deep playoff push.

Luckily for the Maple Leafs they have a few days to gauge how Matthews is going to be, and hopefully a holiday break will be enough for the captain to make great strides in his recovery.

But if he doesn't get healthy and Toronto is on the end of another unfortunate playoff exit, it's going to be another long year, with more changes coming as the team goes back to the drawing board.