Leafs’ Auston Matthews feels ‘the best I’ve felt in a long time’ going into 2026-27

It’s become an annual tradition for professional athletes going into their respective training camps to say they’re in the best shape of their careers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs captain is no exception.

Auston Matthews sat down with Leafs host Ryan Leslie to discuss how the team’s previous season ended, his offseason and what his expectations are going into the 2026-27 campaign.

“I’m feeling really good. I think it’s obviously a tough way to end the season last year, but I think there’s always positive that you can take out of adversity (and) negative moments,” Matthews said. “I feel like coming back here now, (it’s) probably the best I’ve felt in in a long time.”

Matthews, who turns 29 this Thursday, suffered a season-ending injury last March after a knee-on-knee collision with then-Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. He underwent surgery for an MCL tear and needed approximately three months to recover.

“The first couple weeks were probably the hardest, because you can’t really do much and you’re in quite a bit of pain,” Matthews said. “You’re still kind of processing … everything that happened. But the rehab and everything flew by, and I was really happy with how I felt at the end of the three-month mark.”

Last season, Matthews had 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in 60 regular-season games. It was the first time in his NHL career that he didn’t hit the 30-goal mark, as well as the first time he failed to reach 60 points.

The Leafs went 32-36-14 with 78 points in 2025-26, last in the Atlantic Division and the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, the season before Toronto drafted Matthews No. 1 overall.

“It’s tough when you’re losing here in a place that’s so passionate about their team and passionate about winning games,” he said. “I think it definitely took a toll on a lot of guys. But I think when you look back on it, there’s a lot of things that you can take away from it, a lot of things that you can learn and move forward and apply into this season.”

In 10 NHL seasons, the Scottsdale, Ariz., native has 428 goals and 352 assists for 780 points in 689 regular-season games. He also has 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 68 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Matthews won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy three times, scoring the most goals in the league in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2023-24. Following his 2021-22 season, where he scored 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points, Matthews won the Hart Trophy, awarded to the league’s most valuable player. It was the first time a Maple Leaf had won the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55.

You can watch the full interview here…