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Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews undergoes MCL surgery, 12 week recovery timeline
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Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Michael Mazzei
Mar 19, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 19, 2026, 17:59 EDT
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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that captain Auston Matthews underwent a successful MCL knee repair surgery in New York City, with an approximate recovery timeline of 12 weeks.
The injury occurred during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on March 12, when defenceman Radko Gudas stuck his knee out intentionally and clipped Matthews in the offensive zone during the second period. Matthews immediately crashed to the ice and was assisted off the ice by trainers after he was initially slow to get up while favouring his left knee. As a result of the hit, Gudas was given a five-game suspension by the NHL Department of Player Safety while Matthews suffered a season-ending Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on March 14 that there was a belief inside the Leafs organization that this would be the case if surgery was needed, which it turns out that it has. The approximate timeline the Leafs provided indicates that this will have no impact on Matthews’ availability for the start of the 2026-27 season.
The suspension handed down to Gudas drew heavy criticism from the likes of the Leafs players, Craig Berube, Brad Treliving, and Matthews’ agent Judd Moldaver. There were also calls from the likes of Connor McDavid for changes to the process for issuing supplementary discipline, though the head of the Department of Player Safety George Parros defended the ruling and process.
More troubling than the suspension itself was the lack of an immediate response from the Leafs after the hit. It drew heavy backlash from fans and media members alike, especially given this wasn’t the first time a hit of this nature went unpunished in the immediate aftermath. While the Leafs scored two goals on the ensuing power play, it was hard to ignore that their initial reaction was to skate idly.
The Leafs have played with an uptick in physical play since that moment, with at least one fight in each of the last five games. For instance, Morgan Rielly took exception to Kyle MacLean crashing into Joseph Woll and fought the enforcer during Tuesday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Matthews recorded 53 points (27 goals and 26 assists) in 60 games this season before suffering his injury. He also captained the United States men’s hockey team to its first Olympic gold medal since 1980.

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