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Friedman suggests Matthews & Nylander could be done for the season after the Olympics


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Alexander Cole
February 9, 2026  (11:44)
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Dec 8, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) and forward Auston Matthews (34) discuss a play against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Scotiabank Arena
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Auston Matthews and William Nylander are currently overseas at the Winter Olympics, although this might be a good thing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Going into the Olympics, Auston Matthews and William Nylander both have phenomenal chances at potentially winning medals.
Team USA is one of the favorites to win the Gold, while Team Sweden is in a position to at least get themselves a Bronze medal.
Matthews is the captain of Team USA, while Nylander is one of the most gifted offensive talents on Team Sweden, which is cool to see.
Having said that, both players have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, and that might just be a problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a few weeks from now.

Could Auston Matthews and William Nylander get shut down?

According to Elliotte Friedman, there are numerous players going to the Olympics who are hanging on by a thread when it comes to their health.
Friedman suggests that this could be a major problem for certain teams, who will have to subsequently shut down their guys.
I'm beginning to think this is true...I'm wondering if there's guys holding on by a thread to get there, and then we find out after the Olympics...they're getting shut down; I hear there's a couple cases out there like that potentially
While the insider did not mention Nylander and Matthews specifically, their names are implied as they have had some injury problems this season.
There is no denying that the Maple Leafs have to be careful with these players; otherwise, they could be in some very real trouble.
The goal is to make the postseason, but if Matthews and Nylander are shut down, they might not be able to make that happen.
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Friedman suggests Matthews & Nylander could be done for the season after the Olympics

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