Auston Matthews‘ 2025-26 NHL season is over. The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ captain will miss the remainder of the campaign and it’s up to Craig Berube and company to figure things out. So far, the Buds have done a good job in keeping the ship afloat. After the 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild, Berube made sure to congratulate his players.
“I thought the whole team was very competitive tonight. It’s a good team over there,” Berube said about the Maple Leafs’ performance against the Wild on the road, via NHL.com.
After ending their 8-game losing streak, the Maple Leafs have now secured points in three straight (2-0-1). If there is ever a slim beacon of hope for Toronto, this might be it. Berube and company know they must ride out this wave of momentum.
However—with Matthews sidelined for the remainder of the NHL season—the Buds are in for a steep climb if they want to get back in the playoff race. Some fans will tell you they rather embrace the tank, and who knows? Maybe Gavin McKenna falls right into the Maple Leafs’ lap.
Auston Matthews #34 of the Maple Leafs
What happened to Auston Matthews?
Matthews was injured after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks enforcer Radko Gudas. Gudas, who had already played a role on Sidney Crosby’s lower-body injury, has put himself in the eye of the storm once again in the NHL. As a result, Gudas was handed a five-game suspension by the Department of Player Safety, which Berube criticized after Matthews’ season-ending injury.
However, that’s little consolation for Matthews and the Maple Leafs. While Gudas will miss five games, Matthews will miss a total of 16 games in the 2025-26 regular season because of the injury. Matthews has sustained a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quad contusion. Moreover, there are concerns on whether the captain will be fully healthy to start the 2026-27 season.
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