As the team piles up wins (four in a row now) and positions itself to make a credible push for the division title, the dark cloud that is Auston Matthews' injury situation continues to hang over the Maple Leafs' 2024-25 season.
Craig Berube explicitly acknowledged Matthews was continuing to battle through the injury before the matchup in Buffalo: "It is tough. He is fighting through it. He is doing a pretty good job on the ice. He is producing, playing hard, and working."
We're not here to irresponsibly speculate on the exact nature of the injury, but reading between the lines, whatever the injury is, Matthews appears to be battling something that medical professionals don't think will be a threat to his long-term well-being.
It leaves the Leafs in a tough position. Is there an amount of time they can shut him down for in the next few weeks or months that provides a reasonable prospect of Matthews fully healing in time for the playoffs?
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