Auston Matthews' Return to the Maple Leafs Lineup

Maple Leafs fans eagerly await the return of star center Auston Matthews, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed upper-body injury since May 3. While Matthews participated in a full team practice on Tuesday for the first time since his injury, his status for Wednesday's game against the Florida Panthers remains uncertain.

Matthews, who traveled to Germany last week for a specialist consultation, reported feeling fine but acknowledged the possibility of sitting out Wednesday's game. He emphasized the need for additional individual skates to regain his conditioning before returning to the lineup.

"We'll see," Matthews said. "I'll get with the training staff and chat some more. Individual skates are much different than a team practice. I may need one or two to get my legs and lungs back under me. We'll see how I respond today and see what happens tomorrow."

If Matthews does not play against the Panthers, he is expected to return for Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Head coach Craig Berube expressed optimism about Matthews' progress, noting his positive performance in practice. However, he acknowledged concerns about the limited practice time before the game.

"It was great having him out there," Berube said. "He looked really good in practice. There are a lot of good signs pointing in the right direction. The tricky part is practice. He looked fine and felt fine, but not having a lot of practice time is a bit concerning."

Despite Matthews' absence, the Maple Leafs have maintained a strong performance, going 7-1 since his last game and securing the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

Matthews, who had five goals and six assists in the first 13 games, practiced on the second line with William Nylander and Pontus Holmberg.

Anthony Stolarz, who leads the NHL in save percentage among goalies with at least 10 starts, will start against the Panthers. He, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Steven Lorentz, will receive their Stanley Cup rings before the morning skate.

The final decision on Matthews' return rests with Berube, who emphasizes the player's readiness as the determining factor.

"When a player comes to me and tells me he is ready to go, he is ready to go," the coach said.