The 27-year-old spoke for the first time on Wednesday since Dec. 20, the last time he's been in Toronto's lineup. Matthews took a cross-check from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert, which he says aggravated the injury a "little" bit.

Dreger echoed Ferraro’s perspective, adding that Matthews’ return may in fact align with the Four Nations Faceoff, which begins on Feb. 12. Matthews will represent Team USA for the first time since 2016 and was one of the first six players included in the roster last summer.

For the second time this season, Toronto Maple Leafs superstar forward Auston Matthews is missing time due to an upper-body injury. The Maple Leafs missed their captain for about a month earlier in the season and has now been on the shelf again for five games.