Matthews out for season with MCL tear
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
herman
Well-known member
Might be surgery involved in repairing a grade 3 tear (full tear). The two week wait is to see if the ACL is borked too, I’m guessing. If he’s got other issues previously holding him back, might as well get that stuff sorted too. Makes for a brutal recovery period but it’s overlapped instead of stacked sequentially. It will affect his offseason preparation to some degree.
Joe S.
Moderator
That's because the NHL is the bushiest of the bush leagues.
ZBBM
Well-known member
You know, any other season in Matthews' career, this injury would essentially end the team's playoff hopes. And the penalty for that is 5 games.
If I were the Leafs GM — maybe if Dubas still was — I'd be going ballistic.
EDIT: and I see Petrielli is up with an article on MLHS calling for exactly that.
If I were the Leafs GM — maybe if Dubas still was — I'd be going ballistic.
EDIT: and I see Petrielli is up with an article on MLHS calling for exactly that.
Last edited:
Arn
Well-known member
If it’s the ACL, it’ll be a year til we see him again.
I’d also be worried that, if we thought he was slowing now, a year out and a repaired ACL could be very concerning…
MCL is generally 2-3 months, maybe a little longer if surgery is needed.
L K
Well-known member
MCL tear is better than MCL + ACL. Presumably Matthews had at very least an ultrasound and more likely MRI so the likelihood of a missed ACL injury is pretty low. Clinical assessment of the knee in the first week or so can be somewhat difficult due to the acute swelling and the associated quad contusion might confound range of motion testing.
There isn't a benefit of surgery vs. non-operative for even complete tears like this so its probably unlikely that they go the surgical route. It will definitely be more in the 2-3 month range for Matthews getting back on the ice in any meaningful way. The good news is that there is a lot of strength/conditioning stuff he will be able to do outside of this.
What is less good is that there is usually persistent laxity in the joint after a tear like this. Matthews isn't likely to blow out his knee just doing routine stuff, but the next time a Gudas runs him like this there is a greater chance that this happens again.
5 games for a plug to injure a star player is a joke.
There isn't a benefit of surgery vs. non-operative for even complete tears like this so its probably unlikely that they go the surgical route. It will definitely be more in the 2-3 month range for Matthews getting back on the ice in any meaningful way. The good news is that there is a lot of strength/conditioning stuff he will be able to do outside of this.
What is less good is that there is usually persistent laxity in the joint after a tear like this. Matthews isn't likely to blow out his knee just doing routine stuff, but the next time a Gudas runs him like this there is a greater chance that this happens again.
5 games for a plug to injure a star player is a joke.