The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that their captain Auston Matthews is out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season with a grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion. The team also announced that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
He suffered the injury after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas in Thursday night’s game. Gudas was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct. And today it was announced that he will have a phone hearing, which typically means no more than a five game suspension.
Matthews Out for Remainder of Season
Matthews is now going to be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 season with the MCL tear. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a grade 3 MCL tear is the most severe where the medial collateral ligament is completely torn. The recovery time for this style of injury is estimated to be six to 12 weeks, which is roughly four months, if not longer. Unfortunately, this means Matthews has a chance to return in time for the start of the 2026-27 season. But if there are any setbacks or complications, it could be longer than that.
The hit has drawn some debate amongst the fan base. Both for the hit itself and there being no real need for Gudas to make that hit on the play. As well as the little immediate pushback from the Maple Leafs on the ice. Their captain was lying on the ice and no one did anything to Gudas. However, in the third period they picked up their physical play, but it was too little, too late.
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With the Maple Leafs already out of a playoff spot, their attention will turn to two things: the update on Matthews’ injury in two weeks, as well as where they will land in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in June.
