Craig Berube reveals Auston Matthews is suffering from upper-body ailment

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking forward to a loaded season in 2024-25, especially after naming Auston Matthews as captain and bringing in Craig Berube to take the team through it. The excitement in the organization is high; however, Tuesday did put things on hold when Auston Matthews left practice early. The sight instantly sent fans and the team into concern mode.

Despite the early scare, Coach Craig Berube reassured everyone in a quick fashion that Matthews' early exit was due to a minor upper-body issue. Berube emphasized it was "nothing serious," soothing the nerves of many who thought it could be worse. The team is rather confident it won't be a big setback.

Matthews is very essential to the Leafs' success, and even losing him for a smidgen of time is a huge blow. Unparalleled in his goal-scoring ability, he has been the engine driving the Leafs' offense over the last few seasons. At best, Matthews is needed for any deep playoff run for a franchise that hasn't won the Stanley Cup in nearly 60 years.

That's a load of productivity, 368 goals in 562 games with the Leafs, which would have him trending to be one of the all-time greats in the NHL. Now, adding the captaincy to his resume, the pressure to perform will be higher than ever on him. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, if the Leafs are to make any noise at all this season, Matthews will have to keep healthy and continue to produce at an elite level.

Although he did face a significant wrist injury two seasons ago, which obviously affected his goal totals, Matthews has largely been reliable throughout his career. The Leafs will be taking things easy with him as the regular season draws near. For as long as he's fully fit, the captain should have another fantastic season.