The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to rebuild after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the 2025-26 season. Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is firing up fans with some new comments about his health.

“I feel like coming back here now, probably the best I've felt in a long time,” Matthews said in an interview released on the team's social media.

Matthews suffered an injury during this last season that derailed his campaign. He ended up playing in just 60 contests for Toronto.

“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.”

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Matthews finished his campaign with 53 points. He has been one of the leaders on this Toronto club, posting at least 100 points in two of the last five seasons.

Toronto missed his production last year. It was the first time in Matthews' career where he didn't score at least 30 goals in a season. As a result, the Leafs posted just 78 points.

“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.”

Maple Leafs fans hope a healthy Matthews is able to lead them back to the playoffs this upcoming season. Toronto starts NHL preseason games on Saturday. The Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens.