Although he will not suit up against the Islanders, it was notable to see Auston Matthews join several skaters for the club's optional skate. There is no timetable on when the Maple Leafs captain will return but the star center was worked hard on the ice and stayed along with scratches Pontus Holmberg, Conor Timmins and Marshall Rifai.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been ruled out of Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders, and spoke to reporters following Wednesday’s practice.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews will return from an upper-body injury for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNP, NESN). The center and Maple Leafs captain missed six games after reaggravating the injury Dec. 20 that forced him to miss nine in November.

Toronto entered Wednesday with 118 goals, the 13th most in the NHL, after leading the Eastern Conference with 298 goals last season. The Maple Leafs have scored three goals or fewer without Matthews in the lineup nine times, including four times in the last five games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will miss out on Auston Matthews to cap off 2024, but he may be ready for the new year.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided an optimistic update on Auston Matthews’ recovery from an upper-body injury, though he confirmed the star center will not play in the New York's Eve game against the New York Islanders.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews joined his team for an informal New Year's Day practice today, but his timeline for returning to the lineup is unclear. In fact, it's unclear if Matthews will even be able to re-join the lineup at 100% the rest of this season.

Otherwise, very little has been said about the injury, but on Thursday insider Chris Johnston exposed the true nature of the Leafs’ captain’s ailment on TSN 1050: “Surgery this year has never been on the table for Auston Matthews. It seems to be more about comfort and mobility rather than a serious issue.

When the New York Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Dec. 21, superstar forward Auston Matthews was missing from the lineup. Despite Matthews returning to the practice sheet for the first time since re-aggravating an injury on Dec. 20, the Maple Leafs' captain will miss his fifth straight game:

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who has already missed five straight games, gave a cryptic update regarding his health.

The Maple Leafs captain resumed his spot on the top line, centring Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies, smiling as he led a morning stretch ahead of Hockey Night in Canada. Auston Matthews is clearly excited to make his return vs.