Keefe admits that Matthews has been playing injured; it may date back to one specific incident at the start of the year

In terms of what the injury might be, Keefe didn't get into specifics, so it could be any number of things. However, there is some speculation that Matthews has never fully recovered from the stiff cross-check to the ribs he received from Dallas Stars winger Jamie Benn back on October 20th. You can see the play in question below.

The play didn't look like much at the time, but Matthews was wincing after this play occurred, both on the ice and again on the bench when the trainer came over to check on him. It's also worth mentioning that, even though the league has been cracking down on these types of plays, Benn was not charged with a penalty on the play, nor was he fined or suspended by the Department of Player Safety.

There's no way to know for sure, unless Matthews or Keefe comes out and confirms that the injury was sustained on that play, but Matthews hasn't exactly been spotted labouring the same way from anything else he has endured this season. There's no question that Matthews hasn't looked like his typical dominant self this season and when you consider that he received this cross-check from Benn in the first week of the season, it sort of lines up with the fact that he hasn't looked like himself for long stretches.

In my opinion, the league really needs to do a better job of protecting its star players. If you look at any other league and how the NFL or NBA protects the top players to ensure that they're providing the best possible product to the fans, it's not hard to see how far behind the NHL truly is. In the NFL, defensive players are judged harshly for how hard they go after QBs. In the NBA, star players draw fouls much easier than supporting players. In the NHL, however, middling players like Jamie Benn are allowed to go after elite superstars like Matthews with almost complete amnesty. It's long past due that the league starts protecting the players like Matthews, McDavid and MacKinnon, who are essentially responsible for a high volume of ticket sales. The game is less fun without the best players and it's time that the league recognizes that and takes action.