Auston Matthews returned to action for the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. He might have only earned a single assist on Matthew Knies' late-game goal in the 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but his presence on the ice wearing the Blue and White was a welcome sight.
Less than 24 hours after coming back and the Leafs returning, they have to play once again. They have made the trip down south to Sunrise and will be facing the Panthers for this second half of a Floridian back-to-back.
Matthew Tkachuk thinks Auston Matthews is extremely underrrated
Most notably, though, Matthews' Team USA teammate and general heel at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Matthew Tkachuk, will be on the other side of the ice. And before the puck drops Thursday night, Tkachuk had something to say about the Leafs captain's reputation among the fan base and around the NHL.
"He was so incredible for our team and as a captain, as a leader, everything on and off the ice. What he did for our team, just so incredible. He still doesn't get credit for the player he is and I'll never understand," Tkachuk said, via TSN's Mark Masters.
Matthews finished tied with Jack Hughes for the scoring lead among American forward. But unlike Hughes, the Leafs captain was in charge of facing the toughest competition and playing an extreme two-way game all tournament long. The fact that he was able to stifle an offense like Sweden's, and even a player like former Olympic MVP Juraj Slafkovsky, all while scoring seven points in six games, truly backs up Tkachuk's words.
While Matthews' Olympics performance has made his reputation slightly improved among fans, there is still a long way to go. From battling Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon as one of the league's top modern centers after scoring 69 goals, to the past two seasons having injuries plague his prime -- his reputation needed to be rescued.
Thankfully, we are starting to see more evidence that Matthews can get back to that world-class level, and at least his teammates recognize it as well.