Auston Matthews sounds off on his pending return to action

It's been a long time since Toronto Maple Leafs superstar forward Auston Matthews has been in game action for his team - specifically, the heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Habs last spring. 

He elected to undergo wrist surgery this offseason to correct a nagging issue that forced him from the lineup on four occasions last season, and while he's been a participant in practice, he's yet to suit up for the Leafs in exhibition or regular season play. But all of that changes tonight. 

Matthews will make his regular season debut tonight at Scotiabank Arena when the Leafs host their fellow Original 6 franchise, the New York Rangers. And needless to say, he can't wait to be back after having missed all preseason games and the first three games of the regular schedule. 

“It's been good to just stay patient and make sure I'm feeling fully confident, which [after] taking a little bit of extra time I absolutely do,” Matthews said after the Leafs’ practice on Sunday. “I'm pumped. It’s been not a lot of fun watching. I've been itching to get back in.”

Thanks to his historic campaign last year, Matthews became the first Leafs player in 75 years as well as the first United States-born player in 24 years to lead the NHL in goal scoring last season. However, he didn't want to return until he can be back to the level he expects of himself. 

“I just want to continue having that consistency every single night. It’s hard to do night after night,” he said. “And that's why the best players are the best players for a reason, because it's easier to be good for a week or a month but it's really hard to be good night after night consistently so that's really all I focus on is being prepared.”

Matthews has been skating on a line with Mitch Marner and Nick Ritchie during practice, and head coach Sheldon Keefe is enjoying what he's seeing. 

“His skating to me looks even better than it was a year ago, and I thought he skated better a year ago than he did two seasons ago,” Keefe said. “He's changed his body, his training, but he's also committed a lot more time to working on his skating given that he couldn't handle pucks [after surgery] and he looks a lot quicker out here than what I've seen him before in the past. Those are the kinds of things that just add another layer to this game.”