Sports injury experts speculate Auston Matthews' mysterious injury may be MCL-related or a concussion

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has been absent from the club’s line for over two games now. However, no official word regarding Matthews’ injury status has been given.

Thus far, Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe has said that Matthews has been dealing with an illness, but not much more than that. Earlier this week, Keefe updated the media, saying that “the effects have lingered and gotten worse,” per Sportsnet.

As such, the lack of clarity regarding Auston Matthews’ mysterious illness has fueled all sorts of speculation. Fans and analysts alike have speculated that Matthews could be dealing with everything and anything from a leg injury to a bad case of the flu.

But the speculation has now led two prominent sports physicians to give their take on Matthews’ injury.

First, Dr. Jesse Morse considers that Matthews may have injured the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in one of his knees. Additionally, the star forward could be dealing with a meniscus issue, further injuring his knee(s).

Dr. Morse said on X/Twitter:

"...They’re calling out with an ‘illness’ for games 5 & 6 which is strange to me, so there may be more to this knee injury."

Another renowned physician, Dr. Harjas Grewal, speculated the following on X:

"...It’s not easy to tell a player and coach that someone can’t play. It’s being called an illness, but I wonder if he’s in concussion protocol."

Both doctors speculated that Matthews was injured in Game 3 following a collision with Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

Whatever the true nature of Auston Matthews’ injury, no one is speaking about it. Perhaps the team is just being cautious about the situation. Nevertheless, the Leafs are in the midst of trying to achieve a miracle comeback without their leading scorer. Boston currently leads their Round 1 playoff series 3-2 heading into Game 6, with the Leafs having staved off elimination with a 2-1 win in overtime in Game 5.

When could Auston Matthews return?

The Athletic reported interesting developments in the Matthews injury saga. During practice before Game 6 in Toronto, Matthews was reportedly on the ice for about 30 minutes. However, The Athletic said that sources used the term “reckless” to describe any attempts to play through the injury.

Given the unknown nature of Matthews’ injury, the Leafs’ management is seemingly taking the matter day by day. It’s not that Matthews can’t skate, but rather it’s just that the team is erring on the side of caution.

Thus far, Matthews seems to be making progress based on video footage captured by The Hockey News, as The Athletic reported.

While there is no timeline for Matthews’ return, there might be an outside chance he could suit up for Game 7 against Boston if the series goes that far.

The Leafs must first win Game 6 and if that happens, the Leafs can think about how to proceed with Matthews. Otherwise, a summer filled with questions and speculation will likely drive the conversation around Leafs Nation.