Training camp has officially begun for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it's a bit of an unfamiliar situation after the so-called “Core Four” of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander was split up for good with the major sign-and-trade deal of Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. Now, the Maple Leafs are moving forward without the native Ontario-born forward who amassed a career-high 102 points last season.
One player that the Leafs will be looking to fill that void of offense left behind by Marner's departure is team captain Matthews, who saw his own production dip last season in a campaign that also included injury concerns.
For now, it's about managing his health.
“I think you just kind of have to manage it as the season goes along,” Matthews said, via The Athletic. “I think for myself over the last few years, and this summer especially, you look internally at what’s maybe working for you, what hasn’t worked. I’ve always kind of enjoyed different challenges in the summer and change, whether it’s routine, workout style, stuff like that, on ice.
“So I think it’s just kind of as the season goes along, how you manage that. It’s a pretty condensed season, similar to, you know, the COVID year with the Olympics. But the main focus right now is obviously camp.”
Last season, Matthews scored 33 goals with 45 assists, a season after he scored 69 goals in 2023-24.
Auston Matthews sought treatment in Germany for injury
Matthews traveled overseas to seek treatment for his upper-body injury in Germany from a a specialist that he'd already consulted with once during his career. During last season's media availability following their postseason elimination, Matthews revealed that the injury was initially suffered in training camp.
“I don’t need to get into the specifics of stuff, but I got injured in training camp, wasn’t feeling great through the first month of the season,” Matthews said. “There were some good stretches where I felt good. There were some stretches where I didn’t feel very good.”
The Maple Leafs will be hoping that Matthews will be fully healthy and able to help lead them on an extended postseason run in his second season as team captain.
