Leafs hope Matthews, who is expected to miss Tuesday's game, can put injury behind him
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Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews missed Monday's practice and is doubtful to play in Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators due to a nagging upper-body injury.
"We just want to make sure we get ahead of it and hopefully get it behind us once and for all," said general manager Brad Treliving. "He will remain day-to-day."
Matthews, who skated on Saturday and Sunday, last suited up in a game on Nov. 3 in Minnesota.
Head coach Craig Berube revealed that Matthews' injury dates back to training camp.
"We're all trying to figure it out and work on it and make sure that we get him back and make sure this thing doesn't occur again over the course of the year," Berube said. "It's not something you want lingering on throughout the season so we're trying to do our best to not allow that to happen."
Matthews missed a pre-season game due to the injury. He produced five goals in 13 games to start the regular season while shooting just 8.9 per cent, which is well below his career average of 16 per cent.
"Nobody is going to make excuses, especially him," Berube said. "Auston's play before he's been out was very good, in my opinion. I get the goals weren't going in, but the chances were there, and the 200-foot play was excellent. So, there's a lot of good going on there. I know the goals weren't going in and that's what most people focus on, and we need him to score goals, I get that, but his play was really good."
The Leafs have won three straight games without Matthews.
"Everybody else just realizes they have to step up," said veteran winger Ryan Reaves. "Everybody else needs to pull a little bit harder on the rope."
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Forward Max Pacioretty is expected to miss "several weeks" due to a lower-body injury, Treliving announced.
"To be honest with you, leaving the rink on Saturday night, I thought it was going to be longer than the news we got this morning," Treliving said. "But we will just have to see how he responds to treatment."
The veteran winger, who will turn 36 later this month, went down clutching the back of his left leg in the first period of Saturday's game. He needed help getting to the dressing room.
"That's a loss," Berube said. "I mean, this guy was playing good hockey for us, you know, really that power-forward hockey with his physicality and ability to hang onto pucks in the offensive zone, score some goals, and things like that. It's unfortunate for him and us. I feel for him with the injuries over the years he's had ... He'll grind through it. He's a worker and a very good pro."
Pacioretty, who had been playing on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, is tied for the team lead with 40 hits. He's also produced six points, all at even strength.
"Never easy to see," said Tavares, who helped Pacioretty off the ice. "We've obviously found some chemistry together and had some success here early. So, we're obviously going to miss him and what he's been bringing to the table."
Pacioretty overcame an Achilles tear, the second in a short period of time, to return and play 47 games with the Washington Capitals last season. He attended Leafs training camp on a professional tryout before signing a one-year deal.
"It's tough," said Reaves, who also played with Pacioretty in Vegas. "Obviously a good friend and a guy who put in a lot of work this summer to get back to the shape he's been in. He became a pretty important piece of that line. He's been playing really well, being physical, putting up points, so, yeah, he's going to be missed for sure. Hopefully he heals like [X-Men character] Wolverine."
Bobby McMann, who has one assist in the last 12 games, moved up to the second line after Pacioretty went down on Saturday. He remained in that spot at practice.
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With Pacioretty out, Connor Dewar is poised to make his season debut on Tuesday. The forward, who dressed in six of seven playoff games last season, is fully recovered from summer shoulder surgery.
"He is a guy who, as we saw last year, has flexibility," said Treliving. "He can play all three forward positions. He can kill penalties. He adds speed. He plays with a little sand in his game."
Dewar spent some time talking with associate coach Lane Lambert, who oversees the penalty kill, following practice.
"Dewar's a worker up front, penalty killer, brings energy, you know, physicality to the game," said Berube. "I saw him quite a bit in Minnesota when I was coaching St. Louis, so I knew him pretty well watching him. He can add something for sure."
Dewar, who was acquired by the Leafs from the Wild prior to the trade deadline last year, played one game with the Marlies during a recent American Hockey League conditioning loan.
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Jani Hakanpää has also rejoined the Leafs following an AHL conditioning loan. The 6-foot-7 defenceman played two games with the Marlies, including one on Saturday.
"Hak still has to get final clearance, but touch wood, everything seems to be moving in the right direction," said Treliving, who smiled while tapping his own head.
Hakanpää hasn't played in the NHL since suffering a knee injury in March.
"Once you get close, it gets easier, because you know it's close," the 32-year-old Finn said. "You kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel."
The Leafs placed defenceman Matt Benning on waivers. Once he is either picked up by another team or clears, the Leafs will have a roster spot available to activate Hakanpää from the long term injured reserve.
Benning came over from the San Jose Sharks in the Timothy Liljegren trade on Halloween. The Leafs also acquired a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft as part of the deal.
Liljegren, a first-round pick in 2017, only dressed in one game for the Leafs this season.
"It was a tough market," said Treliving. "You saw [Dante] Fabbro on waivers yesterday. Ultimately, he had been sitting out a while, and we had some guys who had put themselves ahead of him. I just felt it was the right time, and we wanted to give Timmy an opportunity."
Liljegren has averaged 19 minutes of ice time in four games with the Sharks.
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Liljegren had an underwhelming training camp, which opened the door for Conor Timmins to usurp him on the right side of the defensive depth chart. Timmins has suited up in 14 of Toronto's 16 games so far.
"It's been a while since I've played in an every-day role," Timmins noted. "I'm just really enjoying staying present in the moment."
Timmins scored on Saturday night, which was his first goal since Dec. 12. 2023. He has also produced three assists, all at even strength, this season.
Timmins, a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2017, played in only 25 games last season while missing time with mononucleosis. He suited up in 27 games in the previous season, which was split between Arizona and Toronto. The native of St. Catharines, Ont. faced injury adversity early in his career and has never suited up in more than 31 games in an NHL season.
Timmins feels he's improved in two key areas of late.
"My simplicity, making the play when it's there, not forcing things, and also defending," the 26-year-old said. "I think I've taken a step there. I've been a little stronger with my defending, and that's really helped."
"He's been highly competitive with his defensive play," Berube said. "That's key."
Timmins picked up 10 points last season, and has always been a gifted puck mover.
"He sees the ice really well," Berube noted. "I think on breakouts, he hits the middle of the ice quite a bit."
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Nylander and Max Domi missed practice, but are expected to play on Tuesday.
"It's maintenance more than anything," Berube said. "I think they're both going to be available."
Nylander is off to a hot start with 11 goals, which is tied for second in the NHL. The smooth-skating Swede went end-to-end to score a power-play goal on Saturday.
"You see that cutback in the last move he made and that's kind of his bread and butter," said Timmins. "A lot of people don't see the effort he puts into that in practice and how much work he spends before and after practice on those types of moves. It was really cool to see it pay off."
"He's obviously feeling it," said defenceman Morgan Rielly.
Rielly picked up the secondary assist on the play.
"You're welcome, Willy," Rielly joked in the dressing room afterwards.
It was the 400th assist of Rielly's career.
"All he had to do is put it in," Rielly said with a big smile on Monday. "I've had a lot of those. When you play with a lot of good players they do all the hard work."
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The last regular-season game between the Leafs and Senators on Feb. 10 ended with Rielly cross-checking Ridly Greig after the Senators forward took a slap-shot into Toronto's empty net to seal a 5-3 win.
Rielly was suspended five games for his actions, which seemed to galvanize the Leafs, who won all five games in his absence.
"It's not the way I intended it to go," Rielly reiterated on Monday. "But it's in the past."
Will there by any emotional carryover into Tuesday's first instalment of the Battle of Ontario this season?
"I don't [think so], but whatever happens happens," Rielly said.
"These are always pretty heated games," Reaves told TSN. "They always seem to be physical, high intensity games. I think whatever happened last year just adds a little bit to it, but I don't think that's going to turn up the temperature much more than it has been."
The Leafs and Senators played twice in the pre-season, but Rielly and Greig did not face each other in those games.
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The Leafs held a moment of silence at the start of practice to mark Remembrance Day.
The team held a pre-game ceremony to honour veterans on Saturday night.
"It makes you stop for a moment and appreciate living in Canada and the freedoms and rights that they fought for," said Tavares. "That's so important and you can take that for granted on a daily basis. So many have gone and served our country and given us the opportunity to play the game of hockey and what I get to do every day and we feel very honoured to have them and to have a night like [this] to remember what they've sacrificed."
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Leafs prospect Ben Danford sustained the first concussion of his career during Toronto's rookie camp in September.
"I gotta keep myself from putting myself in those vulnerable positions," the Oshawa Generals defenceman told TSN.
Danford, a first round pick in the 2024 draft, was hit hard into the boards by Edmonton Oil Kings centre Marshall Finnie, a free agent invitee at the camp, during a scrimmage.
"You always have to be aware that guys are trying to fight for spots when it comes to training camp," Danford said. "I wasn't really expecting it."
Danford wasn't able to participate in the Leafs training camp practices, but soaked up everything he could from being around the team while rehabbing.
"Got to see all the big guys, how it works, and what it takes to get to the next level," the 18-year-old said. "The biggest thing was just watching the practices and, when it comes to the defence, just the way they can all defend and they all defend first."
Danford also spent time talking with former Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin, who is part of the team's player development staff. The pair have remained in touch since Danford returned to the Ontario Hockey League.
"With him behind me, helping me out this year, I don't see why I can't have a great year," Danford said. "I've worked pretty closely with him, looking at video with him, and talking to him quite a bit."
What is the Stanley Cup champion stressing in their conversations?
"Defensively, just do my job," Danford said. "You can only do so many things so, you know, have your guy and play your game. Stay physical and maybe be a bit more physical, not going out of the way to look for hits, but if it's there take it."
After producing one goal and 32 assists in 64 games last season, Danford is also looking to become more dangerous on offence.
"Just get shots on net, more shots on net, create more offence that way," the native of Madoc, Ont. said.
Danford has posted two goals and four assists through 15 games this season. The new Generals captain has helped his team get off to an 11-7-1 start, which has them third in the Eastern Conference.
Danford is settling in nicely after a whirlwind few months.
"It's been crazy," he said. "I mean, just being a Leafs fan my whole life, it's pretty special for my whole family. It's an honour to get drafted by them and, yeah, I just can't wait for this season to try and win a championship with Oshawa and see where it goes from there."
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Lines at Monday's practice:
Knies - Dewar - Marner
McMann - Tavares - Benning*
Robertson - Holmberg - Myers*
Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves
*Placeholders for absent forwards
Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
McCabe - Tanev
Benoit - Timmins
Hakanpää
Stolarz
Woll