After a summer treatment after reignited concerns about his back, Auston Matthews is posing an early health question to Jim Hiller.
Scottsdale chiropractor Shawn Robek, who treats back problems and works with athletes, recently posted an Instagram picture with Matthews.
Robek did not state that Matthews was suffering from a specific injury. He just complimented the Maple Leafs captain for putting in a lot of effort throughout the summer and wished him luck for the upcoming season.
Due to the fact that Toronto has never officially confirmed that a chronic back ailment is the cause of Matthews’ recent performance changes, this is a crucial difference.
The conjecture remains because Matthews hasn’t reached the scoring mark he reached during his 69-goal season in 2023–2024.
Matthews concluded last season with 27 goals and 53 points, making his health one of the biggest issues surrounding Toronto prior to camp.
The Maple Leafs need a healthy Matthews above all else.
The Leafs gained something worthwhile by missing the playoffs: time. Matthews has had a long summer to relax, exercise, and resolve any physical issues he may have had.
His collaboration with Robek does not, by itself, substantiate a back injury. Matthews is now listed as healthy, and players often employ many specialists during the offseason.
Nonetheless, the relationship will be noticed since Robek’s practice focuses heavily on back pain. Because of the questions that have surrounded Matthews, even a regular offseason trip becomes significant.
Hiller must now decide how fiercely to use his skipper when camp starts. Although Toronto needs Matthews to lead the top six, there’s no point in overworking him in September if his body requires additional time.
Additionally, the Maple Leafs may use their revamped squad to share accountability. Even if Matthews doesn’t handle all of Toronto’s offensive changes, they can still get off to a good start.
What really matters is how he appears when the speed increases. The Leafs will learn a lot more about his skating, shooting, and ability to handle contact than they would from any picture taken over the summer.
At the time, there was no reported setback and no new injury that was verified. Matthews has been working with someone whose area of competence has organically revived the back discussion for some of his summer, which is the only other evidence.
August hypothesis may be tolerated by Toronto. When the puck drops, it will need a version of Matthews who is healthy enough to make those questions go away.
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