After a historic Olympic gold medal run in Milan, captain Auston Matthews has rejoined the Maple Leafs in Tampa and is expected to suit up for Wednesday’s crucial divisional matchup against the Lightning.
It has been a whirlwind 72 hours for Auston Matthews, but the Toronto Maple Leafs captain’s status for Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning appears to be clearer. After a historic run in Milan that saw Matthews lead Team USA to an Olympic gold medal, the star center faced a logistical puzzle when he and his American teammates were invited by United States President Donald Trump to attend the State of the Union in D.C. on Tuesday night.
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, Matthews rejoined his Leafs teammates in Tampa on Tuesday. While Matthews wanted to take part in the celebrations and attended a White House luncheon to meet with the President, he departed before the evening address to reach Tampa later in the day. Johnston reported in the latest installment of TSN’s Insider Trading that Matthews is expected to play Wednesday night.
Earlier in the morning, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said he expected Matthews to participate on Wednesday and hinted at Matthews opting out of the State of the Union portion of the festivities.
“I’ll get a better feel when I talk to him here tonight,” Berube said when asked if he thinks his star player will show any fatigue. True to form, when Trump introduced the hockey players during the address later that night, Matthews was not among them.
For the Maple Leafs, having their captain back is paramount to their playoff hopes. Toronto currently sits in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a 27-21-9 record. Although they are just six points back of a playoff spot, three teams currently sit between them and the second wild card position.
Matthews has been dominant this season, tallying 26 goals and 22 assists in 51 games with the Leafs. However, even with his return, questions remain regarding how he will perform following the emotional rollercoaster of the Olympics.
The team's depth is being further tested as John Tavares missed Tuesday’s practice with the flu.
“He's feeling pretty good today, actually,” Berube said following Tuesday’s practice. “I thought it would be better if he didn't come on the ice. He can get his quick skate tomorrow morning, but he should be fine”.
Tavares has contributed 20 goals and 27 assists in 57 games this season. Tavares and Oliver Ekman-Larsson remain the only Maple Leafs to have played in every regular-season game of the 2025-26 campaign.