By Canadian Press

Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews misses practice for ‘precautionary reasons’

Jan 3, 2022 | 10:56 AM

Toronto Maple Leafs star centre Auston Matthews and assistant coach Dean Chynoweth were held out of Monday’s practice for what the team called “precautionary reasons.”

The Leafs announced the absences on Twitter, but did not provide further details.

Toronto has been working through a COVID-19 outbreak that saw 14 players and seven staff members placed in the NHL’s coronavirus protocol at its height. Leafs defenceman Timothy Liljegren was the only player still in isolation when they beat the visiting Ottawa Senators 6-0 on Saturday.

Matthews is coming off an outstanding December that saw him named the NHL’s first star of the month after putting up 10 goals and four assists in seven games.

The 24-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2020 at home in Arizona while the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the pandemic.

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The Leafs are set to host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Toronto’s home game scheduled for Monday night against the Carolina Hurricanes was one of a number of contests postponed by the NHL due to arena capacity restrictions in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2022.

The Canadian Press