Is Auston Matthews playing tomorrow against Islanders? Leafs' HC Craig Berube provides latest update on captains' availability

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews returned to practice Monday morning for the first time since he re-aggravated his upper-body injury in a 6-3 win on December 20 against the Buffalo Sabres. He participated in a full-capacity, though he rotated in and out of line rushes and did not participate in any special teams activities.

The norm for NHL players is to get in a full practice partaking in line rushes and special teams before returning to game action. Therefore it's not a great sign for Matthews' availability tomorrow.

Maple Leafs reporter and journalist David Alter shared on X (formerly Twitter):

"Craig Berube confirms that Auston Matthews will not play tomorrow," Alter said on X.

The Maple Leafs coach confirmed Matthews will not play tomorrow against the New York Islanders. This will be his 14th game missed this season, and his fifth in a row since his injury worsened. His next chance to play will be on Thursday against the Islanders in New York.

Matthews has only appeared in 24 games this season, registering 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists).

Maple Leafs will continue to rely on Mitch Marner without Auston Matthews

Without Auston Matthews, the Maple Leafs have relied on their other superstar forward to carry the load. Mitch Marner has had an extremely productive 2024-2025 campaign, and he's stepped up his play in Matthews' absence.

Marner has six points (three goals, three assists) in the last four games without Matthews, and had 15 (seven goals, eight assists) during Matthews' original nine-game injury absence. In total, he's amassed 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 13 games without his running mate.

The Maple Leafs will undoubtedly need that production to continue as they've struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, having surrendered 18 goals in the last four games.

Toronto will take on the New York Islanders tomorrow afternoon at Scotiabank Arena without Auston Matthews. The puck drops at 1 p.m. EST.