Is Auston Matthews playing tonight? Injury details, return date, latest news on Maple Leafs star

The Maple Leafs are getting one of their top players back. 

Star center Auston Matthews is set to return after missing the last few weeks with a knee injury.

He sustained the injury in the Maple Leafs' win over the Rangers on Wednesday, Jan. 25, and has not played since. He also missed the NHL All-Star Weekend. 

The 25-year-old sniper hasn't been as dominant as he was during the 2021-22 season, however, he still has been a vital part of a Toronto team tied for the fourth-most points in the league.

Matthews has recorded 25 goals and 53 points this season with Toronto. He is second on the team in goals and tied for third on the club in points. 

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The Sporting News has you covered on the latest injury updates on Matthews. 

What is Auston Matthews' injury?

The Maple Leafs said that Matthews suffered a knee sprain during the Jan. 25 contest against the Rangers. 

Injury update:

Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will be out of the lineup for a minimum of three weeks due to a knee sprain suffered in Wednesday’s game vs. NYR.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 27, 2023

Matthews played the entirety of the Wednesday night contest. He registered four shots on goal and totaled 21:53 of ice time. Only Mitch Marner had more TOI among the Toronto forwards. So it is unclear when and how the injury occurred. 

It is unclear if the injury is the same one that kept Matthews out of games earlier this month. At that time, his injury was undisclosed and Matthews said it was something that's been "nagging."

When will Auston Matthews return?

Matthews is set to return Wednesday night against the Blackhawks. 

Auston Matthews is indeed playing tonight versus Chicago.

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) February 15, 2023

The three-week timeline that was originally set would have put Matthews' return at the Maple Leafs' game against the Canadiens on Saturday, Feb. 18. So he is coming back a tad earlier than expected. 

With the All-Star break in the midst of his absence, Matthews only missed five games. Toronto went 2-3-0 without Matthews. 

Auston Matthews stats 2022-23

Matthews hasn't been scoring at the same rate he was last year when he hit 60 goals, but he is still finding ways to produce. 

He is tied for third on the team in points, only behind Marner and William Nylander, and tied with John Tavares. Only Nylander has more goals this year on Toronto, and no one has as many power-play goals as Matthews.