"It's a little concerning": Craig Berube leaves no doubt on Auston Matthews' lack of practice returning from injury 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have held steady despite captain Auston Matthews' absence. He has missed several games due to an upper-body injury.

The Leafs have gotten key contributions from players like Mitch Marner and John Tavares, both of whom are playing in the final years of their respective contracts.

Head coach Craig Berube discussed Matthews' return to the ice with reporters after Tuesday's practice, explaining that his presence was a positive for the rest of the team and that he's trending in the right direction for a return.

"Good," Berube said. "It was great having him out there. He looked really good and got through practice with no problem. There are a lot of good signs pointing in the right direction."

When asked about a specific timeline for a potential return for Matthews, Berube said he'll know when Matthews indicates to him that he's ready.

"As I’ve mentioned before, when a player comes to me and says he is ready to go, he is ready to go," he said. "The tricky part is practice, right? On the first day, he looked fine and felt fine. Not having a lot of practice time is a little concerning."

Meanwhile, Berube also gave a discouraging update on the status of Max Domi and David Kampf, both of whom were recently placed on Injured Reserve.

"He still hasn’t skated — Domi or Kampf," Berube said. "They are still recovering. No ice yet. They will stay back [in Toronto]."

The Maple Leafs face the Florida Panthers on Wednesday in a rematch of the postseason series in 2023 that saw the Panthers advance over the Leafs.

Auston Matthews had not been scoring at his usual pace before his injury

The reigning Art Ross Trophy winner after scoring 69 goals last season, Matthews had been on pace to reach the mid-30s in goal scoring in 2024-25.

Scoring around 34-35 goals would be a great output for most NHL players, but it would be half of what he managed to tally for the Leafs last season.

Some may chalk that up to new coach Craig Berube's defensive-oriented playing system, but it was still unusual to see him not routinely give opposition goaltenders sunburn on the back of their necks from the number of times the red goal light was illuminated.

Matthews is also in his first season as Toronto's team captain, the first American-born captain in Leafs history. He received the "C" on his sweater after former captain John Tavares ceded the leadership role he held since 2019.