This one's a little different — and a lot of fun.
On this week's episode of The Leafs Lab Podcast, we're joined by Dr. Joshua Walt (@waltsportmed), Sports Medicine Fellow at U of T, who has experience working alongside the Leafs new Primary Sports Care Physician, Dr. David Lawrence.
We cover how training and nutrition shift once the season starts, before diving into the season's biggest injury storylines: Chris Tanev returning at 37 from two concussions and a Grade 3 abdominal tear and Auston Matthews working back from a Grade 3 MCL tear. From there, we examine the hiring of Dr. Lawrence, what he brings as the team's lead physician, and the medical team he brings along with him. We then discuss Andy O'Brien’s hiring as VP of Sports Performance and his approach to player health and recovery, what Sergei Bobrovsky’s "biological age" actually means for his career longevity, before briefly touching on the unique surgical risks facing Max Domi as a Type 1 diabetic.
In the second half, we shift to the ice, discussing the biggest takeaways from the Leafs first preseason game: Morgan Rielly not on the top pair, Matthews already hitting 35 km/h, and standout puck movement from Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae.
The science says this team might be different—and the preseason is starting to back it up. Let's get into it.
You can find Dr. Walt and his work on Instagram: @waltsportmed and X/Twitter: @WALTSportsMed.
Amendment from Dr. Walt: Regarding MCL re-injury risk, the risk is still present, but it is important to distinguish MCL injuries from ACL injuries. MCL re-injury or surgical failure risk is considerably lower because the MCL has a much better blood supply and healing capacity. However, even if the MCL itself heals well and the risk of surgical failure is low, Auston Matthews may still experience a period of elevated overall injury risk after returning to play.
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