Leafs’ Auston Matthews undergoes surgery for MCL tear, recovery to take 12 weeks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a bit more clarity on Auston Matthews’ MCL tear.
The Leafs captain will undergo surgery on the injury, with the recovery time expected to take 12 weeks.
Matthews sustained the injury late in the second period of the Leafs’ 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday. Matthews was set up in front of the net with a scoring chance off a Ducks turnover, and Radko Gudas, who was out of position, made a desperate attempt to make a play on Matthews, with their knees being the primary point of contact. Matthews was down on the ice for quite some time and needed assistance to the room.
The update on Matthews comes sooner than expected, as when the team had initially announced he’d miss the rest of the 2025-26 season, they also mentioned he would be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.
The provided timeline indicates that Matthews will be recovered around the end of the Stanley Cup Final, but with the Leafs currently sitting 12 points outside of a playoff spot, it’s highly unlikely they will be playing around that time, especially without their best player.
The injury ended a tough 2025-26 season for Matthews, as he finishes with just 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in 60 games.
It’s the first time Matthews has finished at under a point-per-game pace in a season since his rookie year, and also the first time he failed to reach the 30-goal and 60-point mark in his career. Even considering he’s only played 60 games, it’s the second-worst point-per-game pace and the worst goal-per-game pace in a season in his career. It’s also the second-straight season he’s averaged less than a 0.5 goals per game in a season, coming in both seasons of head coach Craig Berube’s tenure.