Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews says he feels \"really good\" health-wise after an undisclosed injury caused him to miss 15 games during the 2024-25 season.
Matthews suffered the injury during Toronto\'s 2024 training camp and struggled with the ailment throughout the campaign. The Leafs and Matthews declined to publicly disclose specifics about the injury during the season.
Matthews\' goal output dropped dramatically from 69 goals in 81 games during 2023-24 to just 33 goals in 67 games last season. The 2023-24 total was the highest single-season NHL mark since 1995-96, while last season represented his lowest career goal total.
The injury required Matthews to travel to Germany for examination in November, missing nine games during that stretch. He missed six additional games in December and January with the same issue.
\"Health-wise, I\'m feeling really good. I had a good summer. I did a lot of things that put me in a position to come into training camp feeling really good. So I\'m really happy about that,\" Matthews said.
Even when playing, Matthews appeared diminished from his typical dominant form. His shot lacked its usual dynamism and he avoided physical engagement compared to previous seasons.
Matthews maintained a 1.16 point-per-game pace, ranking 10th in the NHL, but acknowledged the physical challenges he faced.
\"Definitely a tough year physically,\" Matthews said at the end of last season.
Matthews addressed managing his health during the condensed 2025-26 schedule built around the 2026 Olympics. The compressed timeline mirrors the COVID-shortened season that included Olympic participation.
\"I think you just kind of have to manage it as the season goes along,\" Matthews said. \"The main focus right now is obviously camp.\"