*Photo from CTV News*
Though he won't miss the regular season, Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is hurt. The team announced on Friday that Matthews has successfully undergone wrist surgery and will be out for a minimum of 6 weeks, which means he will miss the start of Leafs training camp.
The team did not say which wrist Matthews had surgery on, but it's probably a safe bet to say that he had it on his right wrist. He had been dealing with discomfort all season on that wrist, and missed two games after aggravating the injury, which affected his shot and overall usage on the ice.
Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had said before the playoffs about Matthews that "He's had a tremendous season yet not a smooth season. We all know he's been dealing at different times with injury situations that have directly impacted his ability to shoot and handle the puck, and so that makes you wonder what could have happened had he been healthy all the way through."
Despite his wrist discomfort, Matthews still took home the Rocket Richard trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer, scoring 41 goals in 52 regular season games. He finished 8 goals ahead of Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who came in second place. He's the first Maple Leafs player in 75 years, and the first American born player in 24 years to lead the league in goals.
If Matthews were to miss the exact minimum of 6 weeks, he would theoretically rejoin the team as they play their first preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens on September 25, though it is unclear if he would play in that game. Toronto opens the regular season against the Canadiens on October 13.
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