Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube says he doesn’t think Auston Matthews’ upper-body injury is too serious and expects the captain to be fine.
Matthews returned to practice Thursday after getting a couple of days off the ice for what Berube called maintenance. Matthews was not scheduled to play in Toronto’s home preseason game Thursday night against Montreal.
“We don’t want lingering injuries and things like that going on,” Berube told reporters. “So, we’ve got to make sure that we’re smart.”
Matthews is coming off leading the NHL with 69 goals last season. He’s in the first year of a US$53-million contract.
The team named him captain, replacing John Tavares, in August. The Leafs’ regular-season opener is Oct. 9 at the Canadiens.