Auston Matthews will not play in NHL All-Star Game due to injury
Auston Matthews will not be repeating his crowd-pleasing performance at the NHL All-Star Game this weekend as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ superstar forward will miss the event due to a nagging injury.
#NHLAllStar Update: @Senators forward Brady Tkachuk will replace @MapleLeafs forward Auston Matthews on the Atlantic Division roster for the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game.
Despite not playing due to injury, Matthews will attend All-Star weekend in St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/iVcwA5jB2B— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 22, 2020
The NHL released a statement on Wednesday evening confirming Matthews’ absence from the event, announcing that Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk will fill the open spot on the Atlantic Division roster.
Matthews was a hit at last year’s game when he played to the hometown San Jose audience by donning a Patrick Marleau jersey during the skills competition. The 22-year-old is having a strong season with the Maple Leafs, sitting tied for second in the NHL with 34 goals and 11th with 57 points in 49 contests. He has been named an all-star in each of his four seasons in the league.
His replacement, Tkachuk, has potted 15 goals and 27 points in 47 games this season. He joins his brother Matthew from the Calgary Flames at the event and both will be making their first appearance as all-stars.
Matthews is expected to be ready to play when TOR resumes Monday in NASH. He spent the bye week at home, training in Scottsdale, when the decision was made to keep him off the ice this weekend.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 22, 2020
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Matthews is not expected to miss any regular season games. He was reportedly training at his home in Arizona upon making the decision to withdraw from this weekend’s festivities. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the injury is a wrist issue, and that it has been bothering the forward for upwards of three weeks.
Despite not appearing on the ice, Matthews is still expected to be in attendance in St. Louis.
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