Auston Matthews Breaks Silence On New Injury That Forced Him to Miss Game vs. Team Sweden

With the 4 Nations Finals on Thursday, Team USA captain Auston Matthews' latest injury has put his status into question. Though he was practicing on Wednesday, it's still a bit of a concern.

An injury kept him out of Monday's game against Sweden, and the superstar has commented on his latest injury, and in a concerning turn; it's a new one.

He seems good to go for tomorrow, and understanding the importance of the game it seems like only a catastrophe can prevent him from playing.

Thankfully for Maple Leafs fans and Team USA it seems he'll be ready to give it his all on Thursday, but with it being another injury in a season filled with them; it's still a worrying sign.

While thankfully this latest ailment is not related to the one that kept him out of 15 games earlier this season, it's yet another tick on the injury box for the Maple Leafs captain.

He's already missed with an upper-body injury, this one seems like a lower-body case, and the past few seasons he's missed several games with injuries.

A lot can be said about Matthews' talent, there's no denying that. But he can't contribute if he keeps being hurt, and he might start getting the reputation as a glass cannon. Lots of firepower but easily fragile.

Case in point his second stint this season on the IR. He managed to get hurt in a very innocently looking tie-up and missed six games. If he can be healthy and at a moment's notice break like a toothpick, that's BAD news for the playoffs.

Matthews has managed to put up 45 points in 40 games (20G, 25A) but if gets hurt down the stretch, not only does it put him in one of the worst seasons of his career but could ruin the Maple Leafs' playoff chances.

With the Maple Leafs set to do battle on Saturday as the regular season resumes, all eyes will be on Matthews' health after Thursday and if he's really okay, or if he's hiding something.