Leafs Reporter Shares Latest News on the Injured Auston Matthews and Calle Jarnkrok

The Leafs are 0-1-1 to begin the pre-season after suffering a pair of losses to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday (6-5 OTL) and Tuesday (2-1 regulation), and it's not quite the start anyone was hoping for.

The Leafs have dealt with their fair share of injury issues thus far in training camp, but the latest victims to be bitten by the injury bug, Jarnkrok and Matthews, were both back on the ice on Thursday, which is very good news for the club.

Matthews was given a maintenance day on Wednesday to help recover from a minor upper-body issue, but even though both players were well enough to skate on Thursday, neither will suit up against the Montreal Canadiens.

With Matthews and Jarnkrok skating today, it would seem likely that one or both will be healthy enough to return to the lineup for Saturday's clash with the Canadiens in Montreal. At least that's the hope.

Jarnkrok had struggled mightily with his health in 2023-24 and would love, I'm sure, to put his injury woes behind him and focus on having a quality 2024-25 season. Meanwhile, Matthews is coming off of a career year in which he posted a ridiculous 69 goals to capture his third Rocket Richard Trophy in 4 seasons.

The new Leafs captain has looked as dangerous as ever so far in training camp, and avoiding a lengthy layoff is hugely beneficial for Matthews, who is in line to pass Mats Sundin for most goals in Maple Leafs history this season.