Matthews played 67 games and was known to be dealing with an injury. He had 33 goals and 78 points, after scoring 69 goals the year before, and struggled with three goals and 11 points in the playoffs in 13 games.
The 27-year-old did not specify what he was dealing with physically during the season, but he said it was something that was bothering him right from the start.
“It was a very tough season,” Matthews told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t need to get into specifics, but I got injured in training camp. Obviously, I wasn’t feeling great throughout the first month of the season, took some time off, went to Germany, did all these things to try to feel better. I was in a place where I felt like I could manage it.”
Matthews said he would not require surgery this off-season and expects to be fully healthy.
One area where Matthews was clearly hampered by the injury was his shooting ability, as he finished with a 12.6 shooting percentage. The captain said it was more than that, though.
“I think it impacted a lot of different things, for sure,” he said.