Auston Matthews Out for the Year with Nasty Knee Injury
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When you are an injury whisperer of sorts, there are few moments that rattle the psyche more than seeing a top player out for the rest of the season. That is unfortunately what happened to Auston Matthews. Matthews suffered a Grade 3 tear of his MCL and a significant quad contusion after a brutal knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas.
A Season Of Mixed Results For Auston Matthews
When Matthews looks at 2025-26, he will remember the Gold Medal won at the Olympics for a lifetime. However, Toronto and some fantasy owners will remind him of a disastrous (by his standards) season. The center scored 27 goals in 60 games on 227 shots. It is his lowest goal-scoring output of his career.
Worse, his 11.9% shooting percentage is the lowest as well. Matthews had his fewest power play points scored (12) and only attempted 6.7 shots per game. Two years ago, the center was averaging more than eight shots per contest. The offense ticked downward and this injury delivers the fatal strike on an ugly Toronto Maple Leafs season.
Leafs lose Matthews for the year and start another three games in four nights without three centres they had before the trade deadline: https://t.co/HFkjKrCXoj
— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@sunhornby) March 14, 2026
Nothing gets easier for Toronto and nor does it get simpler for Matthews. The forward has two years remaining on his current deal at $13.25 million AAV. He will be 29 when next season gets underway. One has to wonder when his time in Toronto will be up. If one thinks fans and media are unforgiving, you should see the fantasy hockey owners. Yikes!
Anyway, this has long-lasting effects and opportunities for Toronto and options come the fantasy hockey playoffs. Some playoffs starts as soon as next week.
Fantasy Hockey Impact
For the Maple Leafs, the vacuum is obvious. Toronto faces Buffalo, Minnesota, and the New York Islanders over the next four nights. The Maple Leafs have struggled offensively as they have dropeed eight of their previous nine games. 209 goals scored is not bad but allowing 233 is. Does John Tavares move back up to 1C for the short-term?
That seems to make the most sense. Tavares and William Nylander is still a pretty good duo. Defensively, they are much worse but offensively, the veteran center does have 54 points in 66 games (23 goals). Tavares has been healthy and extremely durable. That is worth something.
From an outside the Toronto scope, if you had not been exploring the waiver wire immediately, one probably should have. At any rate, Dylan Larkin has been lost for Detroit so that option is out.
Players To Target:
- Pavel Zacha (BOS) -- 45 points on the season and on pace for 60+
- Alexis Lafreniere (NYR) -- 15 points in his last 10 games
- Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) -- 19 points in his previous 14 contests
- Anze Kopitar (LAK) -- Five points in his last eight but the healthiest he has been all season
- Brayden Schenn (NYI) -- On top power play unit, worth at least a look.
The Olympic season injury fest only slowed temporarily. Be mindful of this as the fantasy hockey playoffs approach.
