Matthews led the Maple Leafs in goals (five) and points (six) in their seven-game loss to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference First Round. He had an NHL career-high 73 points (37 goals, 36 assists) in 68 regular-season games.
After the Maple Leafs were eliminated, Matthews turned down a chance to play for the United States at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia from May 10-26.
Selected by Toronto with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old has 205 points (111 goals, 94 assists) in 212 games.
Matthews was in his first season with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in 2013-14 when he broke his left leg in the second game. He had surgery and missed three months.
