Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews received a negative PCR test on Tuesday, but was held out of practice for precautionary reasons, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Furthermore, Matthews has not been ruled out to play against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

Matthews had been held out of Monday's practice after testing positive for COVID-19.

Keefe said Matthews and assistant coach Dean Chynoweth produced positive results from their rapid antigen tests after arriving at the team's facility on Monday.

Keefe also said the Leafs would await PCR test results expected early Tuesday.

The club initially called the absences "precautionary" on Twitter, but did not provide further details.

"There have been some instances where those rapid (test) positives have been false," Keefe said Monday on a post-practice video conference call with reporters. "That's why at this point it was just precautionary.

"We'll await confirmation."

Toronto has been working through a COVID-19 outbreak that saw 14 players and seven staff members placed in the NHL's COVID protocols at its height.

Matthews was named the NHL's first star of the month for December after registering 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.

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