Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has surgery on left knee

By Canadian Press on March 19, 2026.

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews had surgery Thursday in New York to repair the torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

The team said he’s expected to need about 12 weeks of recovery time.

Matthews was injured March 12 in a home victory over Anaheim on Radko Gudas’ knee-on-knee hit that drew a major penalty, game misconduct and five-game suspension.

The captain of the winning U.S. Olympic team, Matthews finished the season with 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games. He’s Toronto’s career leader with 428 goals.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Associated Press

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