The Maple Leafs have a serious injury crisis with Auston Matthews and they need to make a decision on whether he should play in the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.
If the first time around wasn't bad enough, it looks like Auston Matthews will be out again for the team after re-aggravating his injury that kept him away earlier this year.
It's frustrating for both fans and for the team as they are anxiously awaiting when Matthews is going to be fully healthy. He played well enough to be selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but some are wondering if he should be taken out for precautionary measures.
The Importance Of Removing Auston Matthews
While it's always a great accomplishment to be able to represent your country, it's a far cry from an Olympic opportunity coming up in February. Simply an exhibition tournament to decide which nation reigns supreme.
But as important as it may be to some, the main goal of Matthews is to help the Maple Leafs get to the Stanley Cup, and the risk of re-aggravating his injury again is too high for the team to simply say go ahead and play.
While they can't ultimately force their captain to not participate, they can kindly ask him to avoid suiting up for the betterment of his team and career. If all goes well, there's no doubt the NHL will implement another tournament and Matthews will suit up for Team USA whenever the next international clash occurs.
Considering he's already missed a month this season and looking a step or two behind his normal output, it would be best for Matthews to sit out and recover as best as possible.
He could be healthy completely by February, but with the regular season closing in the next two months, time wouldn't be on their side if he gets hurt again during the tournament.
The team has a lot of pressure to not only make sure their captain is healthy, but also happy. Matthews could be extremely excited about playing and already made up his mind, giving a new twist to the situation though as of now it's unknown if Toronto has approached him.
This season, Matthews has struggled even when on the ice, only scoring 11 goals and 12 assists; a far cry from his dominant outburst last year.
All the Maple Leafs can do right now is ask their leader to take a step back and focus on the bigger picture. There's always another international tournament, but this is as close as Toronto has been to true playoff success, and no telling when they'll get this chance again.
