Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving breaks silence on Auston Matthews availability for 4 Nation Face-Off

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving recently spoke about Auston Matthews' availability for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Matthews has faced a series of injuries this season, including a second upper-body injury that forced him to miss several games.

Despite these setbacks, Treliving expressed confidence, with 4 Nations Face-Off about a month away.

“There’s nothing right at this point to make me worry about that," Treliving said on Monday, via Leafslatest. "But we still are a month away or so hopefully there’s no setbacks and everything keeps moving forward.”

Matthews has been recovering from a long-standing injury that also kept him out in November. After missing nine games earlier in the season, he returned on Nov. 30 but he reaggravated the injury in December. He made his return to the ice on Jan. 4 after missing six more games. Upon his return, Matthews admitted that he wasn't sure if the issue would be fully resolved during the season.

"Yeah, I don't know," Matthews said, via NHL.com, "I hope so, that's obviously the goal. It's tricky with these things. It's a physical sport, it's a contact sport, so things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control, so just trying to manage it as best I can."

The 4 Nations Face-Off, set to take place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, will feature teams from the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland. Matthews was initially named to the U.S. team roster and his participation is eagerly anticipated. The event serves as a precursor to the hockey's return to the Olympics in 2026.

Matthews' recent performance after returning from the second injury has been solid, with three goals and five assists in his first five games back.

Auston Matthews's teammates at 4 Nations faceoff

Auston Matthews will play with top forwards Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk. Key defensemen include Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy. Goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger add strength to Team USA’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Here is the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule.

• Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden (Montreal, 8 PM, TNT)
• Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland (Montreal, 8 PM, ESPN)
• Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden (Montreal, 1 PM, ABC)
• Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada (Montreal, 8 PM, ABC)
• Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland (Boston, 1 PM, TNT)
• Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA (Boston, 8 PM, TNT)
• Feb. 20: Championship game (Boston, 8 PM, ESPN).

Team USA will hope for Matthews' availability for a stronger lineup.