Auston Matthews will suit up for the first time since January 25 as the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Chicago Blackhawks at home tonight.

The reigning Hart Trophy Winner missed the Leafs’ last five contests with a knee injury; the team went 2-3 in his absence.

Coach Sheldon Keefe described the impact of the returning centerman to reporters. “He’s a world-class player, so anytime you see him, even in our practice, he makes our practices better and certainly in the game, that much more.”

On Tuesday Matthews centered Michael Bunting and William Nylander during practice.  “I was trying to take in the silver lining, utilizing the break to feel better,” Matthews told reporters. “Hopefully this is the last time I’ll be missing any games.”  

Matthews’ return comes at a critical time for the Maple Leafs as they try to bolster their playoff standing in a soft slate of games that sees two contests against Chicago bookend a tilt with the Montreal Canadiens.  

Toronto comfortably occupies an Atlantic Division playoff spot through 54 games but is tied for second in the division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have one game in hand as the teams jockey for home-ice advantage in what is essentially a locked-in matchup for Round 1.

Matthews has scored over a point-a-game during the 2022-2023 season but has yet to recapture the form that saw him named most valuable player last season.  The Maple Leafs will like their chances to at last make a deep playoff run if their superstar player can recapture his best hockey.

Toronto reassigned Alex Steeves to the AHL Marlies to accommodate Matthews’s return to the NHL club.  Steeves, an undrafted former Notre Dame standout, has impressed for the Marlies over 44 games this season with 17 goals and 39 points.

Opening faceoff at Scotiabank Arena is scheduled for 7:00 pm ET tonight.