Auston Matthews' projected four-week absence is a tough pill to swallow for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there's a small silver lining in the wake of his shoulder injury, with the 21-year-old confirming on Monday that it won't require surgery.
Winnipeg Jets blue-liner Jacob Trouba hit Matthews on Saturday, which resulted in an injury similar to the one he suffered last season, though on the opposite shoulder.
On the hit: "I knew (Trouba) was coming but I was just trying to get a shot off and trying to score a goal. Obviously he took the body -- which is what you're supposed to do -- and it caught me at a weird angle."
— John Matisz (@MatiszJohn) October 29, 2018
His shoulder ailment in 2017-18 forced Matthews to miss 10 games. If his four-week recovery timeline holds up this time around, he could miss up to 14 contests for a team that's started the 2018-19 campaign 8-3-0, largely due to Matthews' offensive contributions.
In 11 games, Matthews has recorded 10 goals and six assists.
Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.