It's officially been over a week since Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews last played a game. The veteran sniper was placed on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury last week and his outlook has been up in the air since then.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have shockingly played their best hockey of the season to date in their past three games. Coincidentally, Captain Auston Matthews was injured for these three games.

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube says captain Auston Matthews' upper-body injury is not "where it needs to get to" and he remains day-to-day as the team takes a cautious approach to his return.

Following Berube's reveal, NHL insider Chris Johnston reported that the Maple Leafs added Matthews to the injured reserve. The move is retroactive to Sunday, and since IR players must miss at least seven games of action, he won't be able to face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, either.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have played their last two games without captain Auston Matthews, who is recovering from an upper-body injury. Despite winning both matchups against divisional rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens,