Craig Berube turns heads with brutally honest Auston Matthews injury admission, hints Leafs captain not 'fully healthy'

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke openly about Auston Matthews' injury after his return. Matthews missed six games due to an upper-body injury before his return against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Although he returned to the Leafs lineup, he is still not fully healthy. Berube said the team will manage his workload to help him recover completely.

"We definitely have to manage him and get him to a point where he's fully healthy. " Berube said after the game, via NHL insider David Alter, "And whether that's minutes or a little bit of time off, I don't know. I don't have the answer for you right now, but we're obviously, going to stay in tune with it and try to do what's best for him."

Matthews’ injury has been a recurring issue this season. He missed nine games in November and has dealt with it since the preseason. The Leafs captain admitted he’s unsure if he can fully overcome it this year.

"I don't know," Matthews said, via NHL.com, "I hope so, that's obviously the goal. It's tricky with these things. It's a physical sport, it's a contact sport, so things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control, so just trying to manage it as best I can."

Despite the lingering injury, Matthews helped Toronto beat the Boston Bruins 6-4.

Auston Matthews' line contributed 5 goals against the Bruins

Auston Matthews played on a line with Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner, who combined for a dominant five-goal performance. Matthews had a goal and two assists, while Knies scored his first NHL hat trick. Mitch Marner added a goal and four assists in the win. Matthews said he felt good and credited his teammates for making his return easier.

“We knew it was going to be a tough, physical game going into it,” Matthews said to reporters. "Obviously it took 60 minutes, so happy I think with the performance tonight from everybody just staying with it and bearing down. I felt good, my linemates made it pretty easy for me tonight too. The chemistry was there. I thought we were working all three zones pretty good and finding each other in good spots.”

Matthews admitted staying healthy has been a challenge but he’s doing everything possible to stay in shape. The team has not shared many details about the injury, but Berube confirmed it’s unrelated to the wrist surgery Matthews had in 2021.

The Maple Leafs are on a three-game win streak. They are focusing on taking things one game at a time.