Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is out for the season after sustaining a torn MCL and quad contusion in a brutal hit from Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas, the team announced Friday.
In a statement, the Leafs said Matthews will be re-evaluated in two weeks:
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that captain Auston Matthews sustained a Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion on March 12 during the second period of the team’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Matthews will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks. A further update will be provided at that time. He will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The fateful hit saw Gudas charge Matthews in front of the crease and lead with his knee, leaving Matthews in clear pain. He was later helped off the and did not return to the game, while Gudas received a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty.
Radko Gudas has been ejected from the game for kneeing and Auston Matthews has gone to the dressing room. pic.twitter.com/wTiR9t7Tzw
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 13, 2026
That might not be the end of the consequences for Gudas, as he was summoned for a phone hearing on Friday by the NFL’s Department of Player Safety. He could be suspended for as many as five games under the terms of the NHL CBA.
This is hardly the first incident involving the 35-year-old Gudas, as he received 21 games worth of suspensions for four infractions from 2015 to 2019. He was also involved in the two hits that knocked Sidney Crosby out of the Olympics, an injury the Pittsburgh Penguins captain still hasn’t come back from.
This hit was bad enough that some Leafs players essentially apologized for not going after Gudas in the aftermath, via USA Today:
“It’s on me for not responding,” Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said, who was on the ice when Gudas hit Matthews.
“It’s a dirty hit. I didn’t understand how bad he got him in the moment, but I take full responsibility for not being the first one in there or being quicker to respond. When your captain goes down on a dirty play, you have to respond as a group, but I take responsibility for not being the first one in there after the hit.”
The team did win Thursday’s game 6-4, breaking an eight-game losing streak that stretched back to the Olympic break.
With only 16 games left in the Maple Leafs’ season, any significant injury would have been a tough obstacle for Matthews to overcome. However, with the team in last place in the Atlantic Division at 28-27-11, the team is likely less than concerned about what losing Matthews will do for its playoff chances in a disaster of a season.
Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft is owed to the Boston Bruins, though it carries a top 5 protection. The Leafs currently hold the seventh-worst record in the NHL.