TORONTO -- Auston Matthews skated prior to Toronto Maple Leafs practice on Saturday and did not rule out returning next week from an upper-body injury. The center, who has missed the past seven games, recently returned from a five-day trip to Germany for consultation on his injury.

For the first time since leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on Nov. 3, Auston Matthews addressed the media on Saturday. Matthews, having returned from Europe where he went had his mysterious injury treated in Germany, offering some insights into the problems that have sidelined him for nearly three weeks.

Reports of Matthews' return vary as Dreger believes Matthews won't play on Wednesday while Seravalli says "all signs point" to the forward returning against Florida.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews for the last seven games, as he’s dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup. The good news for the Leafs is that they’ve managed to go 6-1 without him thanks to the depth scoring from throughout the roster.

The Toronto Maple Leafs might finally see their captain Auston Matthews return to the lineup after a lengthy upper-body injury.

Auston Matthews came back from Germany with a spring in his step Saturday, but wasn’t too forthcoming about what exactly his upper body injury is. After five days seeing a specialist in Germany, at least some of the mystery about his day-to-day condition that has stretched into three weeks was explained.

Auston Matthews has returned to the ice ahead of Toronto Maple Leafs practice, raising hopes he’ll soon be able to return to game action. While the star