What’s Next for Maple Leafs After Auston Matthews Injury?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a frustrating predicament after their captain Auston Matthews landed himself on the dreaded injured reserve. During the Maple Leafs' matchup against the Boston Bruins, Matthews went down and is now recovering from a lower-body injury.

Toronto has numerous players out of commission as it is — losing their captain was, and still is, a massive blow to the franchise. Now, question marks surround the Maple Leafs as they gear up for their upcoming contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets. How will Matthews' absence impact their performance on the ice?

Maple Leafs Navigate Captain's Injury

Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Auston Matthews — Nov 8, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) pursues the puck ahead of Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (26) in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Prior to Matthews' injury, Toronto was already on the brink of entering a brutal drought filled with loss and disappointment. The Maple Leafs endured a five-game losing streak, which didn't end until their latest matchup against the St. Louis Blues, clinching a tight 3-2 victory.

It's likely not a coincidence that the skid continued when Matthews was sidelined — losing a player as skilled as he is, let alone the captain, will inevitably do some serious damage to a franchise. However, Matthews was not in the lineup when they defeated the Blues, which shows Toronto's ability to adapt and plug in missing pieces.

As Toronto's head coach Craig Berube explained following his injury, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com "We played last year without him for a while. It's a next-man-up mentality..."

Not only did Matthews sit out during the Toronto-St. Louis’ matchup, but top defenseman Chris Tanev is also out. Despite two stars off the ice, the Maple Leafs still pulled off a win. It wasn't exactly a seamless victory, but they took on Berbube's "next-man-up" belief.

Earlier this week, general manager Brad Treliving sat for a media appearance and explained that there is a chance Matthews will be able to return for the Toronto-Blue Jackets game, but this is not set in stone at the time of this writing.

According to Nestor Quixtan of Heavy.com, Treliving stated, "He’s coming along… He skated this morning again... I don't anticipate too, too long. But probably Tuesday and Thursday are part of the question at this point."

Of course, if Matthews is able to return, the Maple Leafs will enter the matchup with a noticeable boost in confidence, but even if he is sidelined once again, Toronto has already pulled off one win without their captain. If they can do it once, they can do it again.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!