The Toronto Maple Leafs have endured decades of frustration in the NHL. Arguably the most popular team in the NHL, the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967, the year before the league doubled in size from 6 to 12 teams.

Matthews's outlook has been up in the air since he re-aggravated an upper-body injury during a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20. Head coach Craig Berube later revealed that the 27-year-old sharpshooter would be sidelined until after the holidays, leaving optimists hoping for a return as early as Friday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games as the star center continues to nurse an upper-body injury, NHL.com reported Friday. Matthews, 27, has missed Toronto's last two games and will sit out Friday's contest at Detroit and Saturday's home showdown against Washington.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Alex Ovechkin could resume his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record when the Washington Capitals visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, NHLN, MNMT2).

Alex Ovechkin could return to the Washington Capitals lineup when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game back from the NHL’s Christmas break

If not Schenn, the Leafs could pursue David Savard, the muscly Montreal Canadiens defender playing on an expiring contract ($3.5 million cap hit). He fits the meat-and-potatoes prototype, but the Leafs still can’t be sure he’ll be comfortable playing next to Rielly.

Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Describes Reason For Fraser Minten's Bump Back To Marlies In their 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Maple Leafs had David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg as their bottom-six centermen.