Leafs’ Matthews touches on injury during ‘tough’ season

This past season was a disappointing one for Auston Matthews in his first year as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews played 67 games and was known to be dealing with an injury. He had 33 goals and 78 points, after scoring 69 goals the year before, and struggled with three goals and 11 points in the playoffs in 13 games.

The 27-year-old did not specify what he was dealing with physically during the season, but he said it was something that was bothering him right from the start.

“It was a very tough season,” Matthews told reporters Tuesday.

“I don’t need to get into specifics, but I got injured in training camp. Obviously, I wasn’t feeling great throughout the first month of the season, took some time off, went to Germany, did all these things to try to feel better. I was in a place where I felt like I could manage it.”

Matthews said he would not require surgery this off-season and expects to be fully healthy.

One area where the injury clearly hampered Matthews was his shooting ability, as he finished with a 12.6 shooting percentage. The captain said it was more than that, though.

“I think it impacted a lot of different things, for sure,” he said.

Leafs players asked about pressure of playing in Toronto

One of the storylines to emerge following Toronto’s demoralizing 6-1 home loss to Florida in Game 7 of the teams’ second-round playoff series Sunday was how fan and media attention hinders the Leafs’ chances to succeed.

“There’s pressure everywhere,” said Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency and might have played his last game for Toronto. “We put the most pressure on ourselves. We hold ourselves to such a high accountability. You want to win every single year. It’d be lovely if you could. It’s just hard to do.”

Matthews said the microscope players deal with on and off the ice isn’t discussed.

“It’s the nature of playing here,” he said. “I love playing in Toronto.”

William Nylander — the fourth high-priced forward in the so-called “Core Four” of Matthews, Marner and Tavares that’s never been able to get over the playoff hump — said “this is my normal” of the near-constant scrutiny and attention.

“Playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s been a dream,” he said. “I love being here every day and battling it out for the Maple Leafs.”