Ex-Leafs enforcer criticizes Auston Matthews for being extremely secretive about his injury

Former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Jay Rosehill isn't happy with how Auston Matthews has handled his injury situation. Matthews didn't score in Game 7 and had a minus-2 rating in the 6-1 loss, which eliminated the Maple Leafs from the playoffs in round 2.

On the Leafs Nation podcast, Rosehill said that Matthews should have been more open during the playoffs. He questioned why there was so much secrecy and why Matthews didn’t confirm whether it was an upper-body or lower-body injury.

"Auston. That’s what I wanted to see the most of and I know he’s taken more heat than he ever has after this series," Rosehill said. "I just don’t get the closed doors in the shadows and whatnot with this guy’s injury.

"He is the captain, he is the superstar, can we just hear if he’s (upper/lower body injury)... so it leaves so much to the imagination that people run wild with it and think it’s not even an injury. And he’s full of sh*t. And he’s just trying to protect it."

Auston Matthews took only two shots and played 17 minutes and 27 seconds in Game 7. He scored 11 points in 13 playoff games and had three goals and eight assists. But he scored only once in the second-round series against the Panthers, in his first year as Leafs captain.

Rosehill cited examples of players like Chris Tanev, who had clearly explained their injuries. He said that the NHL isn’t like the 1980s anymore, and players don’t need to worry about being targeted if they share their injury details. In his view, Matthews, as the captain and team leader, should have taken a more open approach.

"I don’t think it’s the 1980’s where if you say my wrist is buggered, my back is buggered, next year in game one of the season everyone’s going to go ‘Let’s cross-check him in the back and slash his wrist," Rosehill said.

---

Auston Matthews didn't clarify about his injury

Auston Matthews confirmed this week that he had been injured since training camp but didn’t provide any specifics. He said that the injury affected his performances throughout the season.

"I don't need to get into the specifics of stuff, but I got injured in training camp, wasn't feeling great through the first month of the season," Matthews said on Tuesday (via NHL.com).

However, Matthews is confident that he will be fully healthy next season and won’t need surgery.

"Definitely a tough year physically, but I'm confident. ... I'll be back 100 percent next season and it's nothing for me to worry about," Matthews said.

Auston Matthews finished the season with 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games. These numbers were lower than his totals last season, where he had 69 goals and 107 points.