Maple Leafs Nylander Matthews injuries 2025-26 season: A comprehensive look at Toronto's health crisis

Maple Leafs Nylander Matthews injuries 2025-26 season: A comprehensive look at Toronto’s health crisis

The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing a perfect storm of injuries and underperformance just 22 games into the 2025-26 NHL season. With Auston Matthews sidelined for five consecutive games and William Nylander battling through his own ailments while carrying the offensive load, the team finds itself at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a 9-10-3 record. The injury crisis extends far beyond Toronto’s star players, with six regulars currently on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, fundamentally altering the team’s competitive landscape and raising serious questions about their playoff viability.

This mounting health crisis comes at a particularly inopportune time for a franchise that entered the season with Stanley Cup aspirations. As the losses pile up and the injury list grows longer, the organization faces mounting pressure to find solutions before the season spirals out of control. The situation has become so dire that even general manager Brad Treliving, who typically preaches patience, has faced intense scrutiny over roster construction and depth issues that injuries have brutally exposed.

Auston Matthews injury impact on Maple Leafs 2025-26 season: Captain’s absence felt across lineup

The Maple Leafs received encouraging news this week as Auston Matthews returned to full practice on Monday, potentially setting up his comeback against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The captain has missed five games with a lower-body injury sustained on November 12 against the Boston Bruins after taking a hit from behind from defenseman Nikita Zadorov. While Toronto coach Craig Berube characterized Matthews and his injured teammates as “close” to returning, the damage done during his absence has been significant.

Matthews’ injury concerns run deeper than just this recent absence. His performance before getting hurt raised questions about whether he’s truly returned to MVP form. The Athletic’s analysis reveals troubling trends in his underlying numbers this season. At five-on-five, the Leafs have generated just 29.1 shots per 60 minutes with Matthews on the ice—the worst rate of his career. Scoring chances, high-danger attempts, and expected goals have all plummeted to career lows, suggesting systemic issues beyond just individual performance.

The injury also compounds concerns about Matthews’ defensive impact. His takeaway rate has dropped to 1.2 per 60 minutes this season, down from 3.7 in his dominant 2021-22 campaign. While he remains positionally sound, he no longer disrupts opponents with the same frequency that defined his elite two-way play. The latest injury threatens to further derail his quest to regain the form that made him the league’s most feared offensive weapon, and the Maple Leafs’ chances of contending diminish significantly if their captain cannot stay healthy.

William Nylander production despite Maple Leafs injuries 2025-26 season

While Matthews has been sidelined, William Nylander has emerged as Toronto’s most consistent performer, putting up MVP-caliber numbers despite nursing his own injury concerns. The 29-year-old winger has amassed 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in just 19 games, placing him among the league’s scoring leaders. His performance has been even more impressive considering he’s battled through a lower-body injury that briefly landed him on injured reserve earlier in the season.

Nylander’s success stems from increased opportunity and responsibility in the absence of Mitch Marner. With more ice time and a larger role in the offensive system, he’s showcasing the talent that made him a first-round pick in 2014. His confidence is evident shift-to-shift, as he controls possession, creates space, and generates high-quality scoring chances. The chemistry he’s developing with Matthews—when healthy—offers a glimpse of what Toronto’s top line could accomplish at full strength.

However, Nylander’s heavy workload raises durability concerns. The Maple Leafs cannot afford to lose their most productive player, especially with the team already struggling to generate offense. As Toronto Daily reported, Nylander recently took what some considered an unpopular stance on the team’s struggles, emphasizing individual accountability while acknowledging the injury challenges. His leadership will be crucial if the Leafs hope to navigate this difficult stretch and remain in playoff contention.

Maple Leafs 2025-26 injury crisis extends beyond star players

The injury situation extends far beyond Toronto’s two highest-paid forwards, creating a domino effect that has crippled the team’s depth and special teams. Joining Matthews on the sidelines are Matthew Knies (lower body), Nicolas Roy (upper body), Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz. This represents more than a quarter of the regular lineup, including two-thirds of the top line, the team’s most reliable defensive center, and key blueliners.

The defensive corps has been particularly hard-hit. Tanev and Carlo, brought in specifically to stabilize Toronto’s blue line, have both missed significant time, forcing coach Craig Berube to overwork remaining defenders. Jake McCabe has struggled on his off-side, while Simon Benoit has been exposed in top-pairing minutes. The result has been catastrophic defensively, with the Leafs surrendering shot attempts at a rate exceeded only by the conference-worst Buffalo Sabres.

Up front, the absence of Roy has forced unfamiliar line combinations and reduced the team’s ability to match up against top opponents. The injury to Knies, who had developed chemistry with Matthews and Nylander, has disrupted the top-six continuity. Even when these players return, they’ll need time to regain game shape and rebuild chemistry, putting additional pressure on a team already running out of time to salvage its season.

Coaching system challenges amplify Maple Leafs injury problems in 2025-26

Craig Berube’s offensive system has come under intense scrutiny as injuries have exposed fundamental flaws in the team’s structure. The coach’s reliance on a “low-to-high” approach, emphasizing point shots over creative zone entries, has neutered Toronto’s offensive talent. With Matthews and other skill players forced to hunt for tips rather than creating high-danger chances, the team’s five-on-five production has cratered.

The power play has been particularly problematic, converting just 15.5 percent of opportunities—good for 26th in the NHL despite 58 chances through 22 games. Even with Marc Savard, the architect of last season’s dominant unit, running the show, the Leafs have failed to adapt to personnel changes. The absence of a five-forward setup has made the unit predictable and easy to defend.

Berube’s deployment decisions have also raised questions. He frequently leans on Matthews for defensive-zone draws rather than offensive opportunities, limiting the captain’s ability to generate scoring chances. In one telling example against Boston, after the Tavares line created an offensive-zone draw, Berube sent out a checking line instead of his top unit. The Bruins scored shortly after, highlighting how conservative decisions can backfire. With key players injured, the margin for error shrinks, making every coaching decision more critical.

Goaltending injuries compound Maple Leafs defensive breakdowns

Anthony Stolarz’s injury has thrust Toronto’s goaltending depth issues into the spotlight. The 31-year-old had already surrendered three or more goals in 10 of his starts this season before leaving Tuesday’s game against Boston. His workload had increased significantly with Joseph Woll sidelined for the first five weeks, and the cumulative strain likely contributed to both his performance decline and subsequent injury.

The front office’s decision to claim Cayden Primeau off waivers instead of more experienced options has backfired spectacularly. While Primeau won two of three starts, his inconsistent play forced Berube to overwork Stolarz, accelerating the starter’s breakdown. James Reimer, who remains effective at 37, would have provided steady veteran insurance, but management rolled the dice on youth and lost.

With Woll now back in the lineup, the Leafs hope to stabilize the crease, but the damage may already be done. Stolarz will need to be managed carefully upon his return, likely in a tandem role rather than as a workhorse starter. However, the team’s defensive woes mean any goaltender faces constant high-quality chances. Until Toronto commits to better structure and reduces odd-man rushes, their netminders will continue to struggle, regardless of health.

Playoff implications of Maple Leafs injury situation 2025-26 season

The injury crisis has transformed Toronto’s season from Stanley Cup aspirations to mere playoff survival. Currently sitting last in the Atlantic Division, the Leafs trail the division leaders by six points—a manageable gap with 65 games remaining. However, the team’s underlying metrics suggest deeper problems that injuries have exacerbated but did not create. Their inability to control play at five-on-five, combined with a porous defense and ineffective special teams, points to systemic failures beyond the injury list.

Management faces difficult decisions with limited trade assets. The Scott Laughton trade, which cost a 2027 first-round pick, looks particularly problematic given his injury history and inability to fill the void left by previous roster moves. Brad Treliving has few prized futures remaining to address the team’s needs for top-six forward help and mobile defensemen. With no team president in place since Brendan Shanahan’s departure, Treliving lacks a critical sounding board during this crisis.

William Nylander’s Hart Trophy-caliber production and John Tavares’ resurgence provide hope, but the team cannot rely on shooting percentage luck indefinitely. Their current rate ranks among the league’s highest and is likely unsustainable. If the injury situation doesn’t improve quickly and the team fails to tighten defensively, the Leafs risk missing the playoffs entirely in what would be a catastrophic season for the franchise.

The next three weeks will be pivotal. As injured players return, Toronto must find its identity and quickly climb the standings. The alternative—a nightmare season ending in early April—looms larger with each passing game. For a team that entered the season believing its championship window remained open, the 2025-26 campaign has become a test of organizational resilience and roster construction that could define the franchise for years to come.

Ryan Ellis had a similar injury situation with the Philadelphia Flyers that ultimately defined his career arc, showing how one season’s health crisis can alter a team’s trajectory permanently. The Maple Leafs must hope their story has a different ending.