HIGHLIGHTS
- Auston Matthews is done for the year with an MCL injury
- Matthews injured his knee on a dirty hit from Radko Gudas
- Read below for the full scoop
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to miss the playoffs in 2025-26, and to make matters worse, they will play the final 16 games of the campaign without Auston Matthews.
The 28-year-old suffered an MCL tear and quad contusion on a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas on Thursday, and he’ll sit out the remainder of the campaign.
Terrible news for Matthews, who is obviously a key piece to the Maple Leafs. This would be the first time in his NHL career that he’ll miss the postseason. The former first overall pick had a disappointing season by his standards, scoring 27 goals and registering 26 helpers in 60 games. From a statistical standpoint, it was his worst campaign since coming into the National Hockey League.
It was a blatant hit to injure Matthews by Gudas, who received a five-minute major and game misconduct.
Surprisingly, Gudas was only handed a five-game suspension. Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, went off on the league for the “laughable” punishment:
“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and 5 games is laughable and preposterous,” Moldaver said. “While the process is set in our CBA, that this was the discipline is reckless and ridiculous. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended.”
On a more positive note, the Leafs did say they will re-evaluate Matthews in 2-3 weeks. It’s not a career-changing injury, at least. Now, it’s time for the California native to recover and come back stronger in 2026-27 as Toronto looks to make a return to the playoffs.
