Keefe: Auston Matthews’ illness “gets worse when he is on the ice asserting himself”

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Auston Matthews and why the superstar center had to leave Game 4 against the Boston Bruins.

“For whatever reason, it’s not one of those run-of-the-mill everyday type of illnesses that sort of come and go. This one has lingered,” said Keefe on Sunday. “The affects have lingered and gotten worse when he gets on the ice and is asserting himself.”

Matthews had been dealing with this illness for a few days, missing a couple practices in between Game 3 and 4, and then still feeling the effects of it for Game 4 on Saturday. After playing the first two periods of the game, Matthews was not on the bench for the start of the third period and was later confirmed to be out for the rest of the game after the Leafs’ team doctor pulled him. There’s no word on whether or not this will keep him out of Game 5 on Tuesday.

Matthews has had an inconsistent postseason so far, possibly due to the illness, as he’s been held pointless in three of their four games. He still has 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points in 4 games thanks to a three-point performance in Game 2, the Leafs’ only win in the series thus far.

This comes after a phenomenal regular season from Matthews, one that has put him in the conversation for the Hart Trophy. He fell just short of becoming the first player since 1993 to hit the 70-goal mark, finishing the year with 69 goals and 38 assists for 107 points in 81 games, but still secured his third Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals.

Matthews was the first overall pick for the Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut the following season, scoring 40 goals on route to winning the Calder Trophy that year. He’s since become arguably the best goal scorer in the league over the course of his eight-season career with the Leafs, winning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times in 2021, 2022 and 2024, also winning the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2022.

Matthews is in the final year of his five-year contract with an $11,640,250 cap hit. He signed an extension with the Leafs before the 2023-24 season, with his new four-year contract with a $13.25 million cap hit set to kick in July. His new deal will give him the highest cap hit of any player since the salary cap was established in the 2005-06 season.

The Leafs currently find themselves down 3-1 in their series with the Bruins, and will look to keep their season alive in Game 5 in Boston on Tuesday at 7 p.m EST.