Maple Leafs won’t rush Auston Matthews back into lineup

The Hockey Night in Canada panel discuss all the news and rumours as the NHL gets closer to the trade deadline.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has been diagnosed with second-degree shoulder separation, per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.

Matthews was injured late in Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders. He was officially listed as day-to-day and missed Saturday’s tilt versus the Boston Bruins.

“It’s been described to me as a second-degree shoulder separation,” Kypreos said on Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “Typically, that is two-to-four weeks. In the Leafs’ case, they don’t want to rush it back. They’ve built up this war chest of points in the standings. The most important thing to the Leaf management team is that he comes back healthy and pain free.”

Matthews has suffered three previous injuries in his career, including two this season. He missed six games with a concussion in December, and four due to an upper-body issue in November.

The 20-year-old forward has recorded 28 goals and 22 assists in 53 games this season.

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