Music: {allcanada} Matthews will rejoin Leafs Wednesday; status unclear vs. Lightning

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

{allcanada} Matthews will rejoin Leafs Wednesday; status unclear vs. Lightning

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The return-to-play status of NHL players on Team USA's men's Olympic hockey team remains in question as they celebrate their gold medal Tuesday in Washington, according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston.

That includes star Toronto forward Auston Matthews, who will rejoin the Maple Leafs in Tampa Wednesday before they resume their regular-season schedule, but it's unclear if he'll play later that night, reports Johnston.

Matthews helped lead the United States to an historic 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the gold-medal game Sunday in Milan. The team returned to the U.S. on Monday and accepted an invitation from U.S. president Donald Trump to attend the state of the union speech Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., giving Matthews and his American teammates with games Wednesday a tight turnaround.

Matthews, from Scottsdale, Ariz., registered three goals and seven points during Milano Cortina 2026 en route to a gold medal. He also has 26 goals and 48 points in 51 games in Toronto this season as the Maple Leafs look to make a push for the playoffs.

Toronto returns from the Olympic break tied for sixth place in the Atlantic Division with the Ottawa Senators after going 27-21-9 before the Olympic break. They sit six points back of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.