Toronto Maple Leafs reporter Luke Fox discussed Auston Matthews today, specifically wondering about his health status after repeated head injuries impacted his performance in the playoffs. Matthews famously missed time in the playoffs this year, getting into just five of the Leafs' seven game. When he was in the lineup, there were flashes of his typical brilliant self, but at other times, he didn't seem 100%. Fox expressed concern about repeated head injuries being a problem for Matthews after he seemed to suffer concussion-like symptoms in the playoffs. <q>How concerning is it that Auston Matthews has now sustained multiple head injuries in his career — one in his sophomore season and another after a weird hit in Game 4 of the Bruins series? Sidney Crosby is the posterboy for stuffing head injuries in the rearview and going on to thrive for years afterward. We'll take it as a positive that Matthews got cleared to play Game 7 and set up a goal, despite looking something less than 100 per cent. Everybody's is different,» Matthews said after recovering from his first concussion in December 2017. «It's a physical sport. Stuff like that happens, and you've got to deal with it.»</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1792204459621449768'> </a></blockquote></div> Many Leafs fans have pointed to a game late in the regular season where Matthews may have suffered a concussion. It was game 80 of the regular season. One that didn't mean a ton to the Maple Leafs, but may have ultimately impacted their ability to win in the playoffs. <q>This has gotta be where Auston Matthews got hurt , collided with fkn Nylander and hits the back of his head on the boards. Looking back could easily be a concussion. Meaningless fkn game and now we don't have him for the playoffs</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/LeafsPapi_/status/1786108122534125830'> </a></blockquote></div> While Matthews missed games, the Leafs consistently referred to his injury as an 'illness.' We still do not know for sure what this meant, but given the nature of the playoffs, it is safe to say that Matthews would have played through many injuries or minor illnesses. As such, there is a very good chance he could have been dealing with a concussion, as the team would not necessarily have wanted us to know about that. <q>After missing the 3rd period of Game 4 due to illness, Auston Matthews is absent from Leafs practice today. Matthews has missed other practices this postseason while still starting every game of the series. Game 5 is on Tuesday in Boston.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1784961398390317091'> </a></blockquote></div> Hopefully this will not be a long-term trend for Matthews as the Leafs look to go on a deep playoff run next season. Source: DailyHockeyDose <a href='https://www.dailyhockeydose.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/important-concerns-about-auston-matthews-head-injury-emerge' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Important concerns about Auston Matthews' head injury emerge</a>