Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Receives Support From Unexpected NHL Star
Leafs captain Auston Matthews received support from Vegas Golden Knights superstar Jack Eichel for his decision to push for his preferred treatment for his injury.
Auston Matthews has been sidelined for nearly a month with a mysterious upper-body injury. After being placed on injured reserve, the organization remained mum about the situation, until the new captain travelled to Germany for further treatment.
Of course, the fact that Matthews had to travel across the world to receive treatment was a worrying sign, but some believed it was the right course of action and even gave him some praise for going to those lengths, as covered by Nick Barden of The Hockey News.
Vegas Golden Knights' star Jack Eichel is no stranger to controversial treatments for concerning injuries and treatment as he underwent an experimental neck surgery that wasn't supported by his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, which ultimately led to his trade to Vegas.
"I think teams are communicating well with players and giving them the chance to see the people they want to see and I think that's been a big part of it as well. I think it goes both ways. It's good that he's been able to get the treatment that he needs, or wants. Hopefully, he can get healthy.
"I had a similar situation here years ago with my neck surgery. The [Vegas] organization was super supportive of what I wanted to do, so I give him a ton of credit on that."
It didn't sound like there was anything to be truly concerned about when it came to Matthews' injury and recovery timeline, and Brad Treliving believes that Matthews should be on the right track to a return to game-action sooner rather than later.
While he is ruled out for tonight's game against Utah, Matthews' next chance to return would be Wednesday's game against Florida. Should they opt to give him some more time, the schedule would allow that as they wouldn't play again until Saturday in Tampa Bay.
