The Leafs Should Urge Auston Matthews to Skip the Four Nations Face-Off

The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing themselves no favors by allowing Auston Matthews to compete in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off.

When Alex Pietrangelo withdrew from the tournament despite being healthy enough to play in the NHL, it seemed like a logical precedent for other players to follow. Yet, Matthews—who has battled a nagging injury all season—appears to be going ahead with it.

Let’s not forget that Matthews traveled to Germany earlier this season to see a sports medicine specialist, and we still don’t know exactly what happened. He missed time with an upper-body injury and hasn’t quite looked like himself since. While head coach Craig Berube has stated it’s unrelated to his past wrist issues, it’s clear that Matthews isn’t at full strength.

If you’re the Leafs, wouldn’t you rather have your franchise star resting and preparing for a deep playoff run? Even a small chance of aggravating his injury makes playing in the Four Nations Face-Off a risk not worth taking.

This Tournament Isn’t Worth the Risk

This will be the first opportunity for Matthews and other NHL stars to represent their countries at a high level, but let’s be honest—this event is meaningless. It’s a four-team exhibition, not the Olympics or even the World Championships. Without Russia and Czechia, it’s hardly a true best-on-best tournament.

Matthews has every right to play, but the Leafs’ playoff success depends on his health. Sure, the team has managed without him at times, but when a game is on the line, you’d rather have Matthews on the ice than anyone else.

Seeing a Matthews vs. McDavid showdown in the final would be exciting, but if Matthews worsens his injury for the sake of this glorified exhibition, Leafs fans will have every right to be frustrated. The team should step in and encourage him to sit this one out—but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen.