The are awaiting the return of their captain, Auston Matthews. Matthews was just in Milan, Italy, where he captained Team USA to an Olympic gold medal over Canada. But the NHL season is nearly back from its break. The Maple Leafs are in a precarious position, needing to go on a quick hot streak to avoid the need to be sellers ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. To have the best chance of winning games, of course, they need Matthews on the ice. MORE: And on that front, there's good news and also uncertain news. Tuesday morning that Matthews will rejoin the team on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. That's after Michael Taylor Jersey Team USA is recognized by President Donald Trump in the nation's capital on Tuesday. The twist, though, is that Johnston isn't clear yet on whether Matthews will actually play against the Lightning on Wednesday. Of course it makes sense that after the celebrations are over, Matthews returns to his teammates. It is tougher to know how he's doing physically, mentally and emotionally after an intense tournament and a lot of travel. MORE: In a perfect world, the Leafs would give Matthews just a tad bit of rest before getting him out for game action. This isn't a perfect world for the Maple Leafs in 2025-26, though. It's been a bumpy season. They can't really afford for Matthews to mi s much, if any, time. And so it'll be fascinating to watch what Toronto does with its captain beginning Wednesday night when the NHL resumes after the Olympics. More NHL news: Aramis Ramirez Jersey