Treliving on Matthews' first season as captain: 'I thought he was terrific'
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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is happy with how Auston Matthews’s first season as captain went despite managing an injury all season long.
Treliving said on Thursday during his end of season availability that the injury had its effect on Matthews at times through the season but is happy with how his campaign went.
"I give Auston all the credit in the world," said Treliving. "I thought he had a really good year in terms of his first year being a captain. Unless you have something that's happened previously, everybody feels great Day 1 of camp and then you feel less great every single day from that. Everybody is playing through stuff.
"We managed it through the year. But did it have an effect at certain times? It certainly did. But I think even seeing how his game evolved, he found a way to be a really, really important, top player and it's a credit to Auston. I thought he was terrific."
The 27-year-old centre succeeded John Tavares as the 26th captain in Maple Leafs history on Aug. 14 after a career season where he scored 69 goals and 107 points in 2023-24.
Matthews revealed after the playoffs that the injury that hampered him throughout the 2024-25 season happened in training camp.
Matthews declined to elaborate on the nature of the injury during his end of season availability on May 20. He missed 15 regular season games and sought treatment for the injury in Germany in November.
"There was obviously some good stretches where I felt good, there were some stretches where I didn't feel very good. You know, definitely a tough year physically but I'm confident with some time off and just going through my own process and stuff like that and treatment and everything I'm really confident I'll be back 100 per cent," Matthews said.
"We're never going to a player in a position where it's going to make it worse," Treliving said Thursday. "He worked through it.
"When we said it was day-to-day, we really believed it. He was able to play with it. Like I said, it wasn't something we felt by playing he was going to put himself in a really bad position, in short or long term."
Matthews’ offence took a dip this past season as he scored 33 goals and 78 points in 68 games after posting 69 goals and 107 points in 81 games in 2023-24.
In the playoffs, he had three goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games as the Maple Leafs bowed out in seven games to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round.