TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said he does not think Auston Matthews鈥� upper-body injury is too serious and expects the captain to be fine.
Matthews returned to practice Thursday after getting a couple of days off the ice for what Berube called maintenance. Matthews was not scheduled to play in Toronto's home preseason game Thursday night against Montreal.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want lingering injuries and things like that going on,鈥� Berube told reporters. 鈥淪o, we鈥檝e got to make sure that we鈥檙e smart."
Matthews is coming off leading the NHL with 69 goals last season. He's in the first year of a US$53-million contract.
The team named him captain, replacing John Tavares, in August. The Leafs鈥� regular-season opener is Oct. 9 at the Canadiens.
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AP NHL:
The Associated Press
