The Maple Leafs likely will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, although the star center is said to be doing better as he recovers from an upper-body injury.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews will not play for the Maple Leafs in either of their next two games, beginning against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SNO, TVAS).

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 Seattle Kraken are likely to part ways with a Stanley Cup-winning center. And Adam Proteau says the Toronto Maple Leafs make a lot of sense to acquire the veteran pivot.

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.

The Seattle Kraken might be a key team to watch around the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Falling short of expectations and struggling to fight for a playoff spot, the Kraken have seen multiple key names pop up on trade boards.

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

Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is on track to make an expedited return to the ice after suffering a fractured fibula in mid-November. Although a final decision is not expected to be made until Saturday,

Capitals star Alex Ovechkin was a full participant in practice Friday and could return to the lineup Saturday night against the Maple Leafs after missing five weeks with a broken left leg.