Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies reveals how he will welcome Auston Matthews back from Olympics

The Toronto Maple Leafs are returning from the Olympics with a road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. They expect captain Auston Matthews back after he won the Olympic gold medal with Team USA. Fellow American and Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies is excited to welcome Matthews back to the locker room after the USA triumph.

Matthew Knies admitted he can’t wait to give Auston Matthews a big hug when he sees him but doesn’t know if the Canadian players will feel the same

“I’m going to give him a big hug and congratulate him when I see him… we’re all so happy for him. It’s so cool, and it was so… pic.twitter.com/Ca31QPSUHj

— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) February 24, 2026

“I’m going to give him a big hug and congratulate him,” Knies said. “I don’t know if the Canadian guys will do the same, but we’re all so happy for him. It’s so cool, and it’s so fun to watch.” Knies then went on to say that he has not called Matthews yet, and was waiting for his return to properly congratulate them.

The Maple Leafs did not have any players on Team Canada, but two teammates did go home thanks to Matthews and Team USA. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and William Nylander were on Team Sweden, which lost to the USA in the quarterfinals. Nylander told reporters that once Sweden was out, he was rooting for Matthews to get over the line.

Knies was one of the many forwards left off Team USA for the Milan Olympics. But at 23 years old and with only 14 goals on the season, he was left at home. Knies and Matthews are two of the few active NHL players from Arizona, alongside fellow Olympian Tage Thompson.

Knies will be a player to watch for Team USA when they defend their best-on-best title at the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. With Matthews as his NHL teammate and a lot of eyes on the Maple Leafs, he may have a better chance than most. Last year, he scored 29 goals at just 22 years old, which could be a harbinger of things to come.

The Maple Leafs and Lightning restart the season on Wednesday.

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