Auston Matthews is returning to the as a gold medalist. But when is he returning to the Leafs? That's a trickier question. threw a wrench into the picture with a post on X on Monday morning: "Some uncertainty around when Team USA players will rejoin their NHL clubs. The Leafs are in Tampa Bay on Wed. USA has been invited to the White House tomorrow, so Toronto is unclear as to when Auston Matthews will return to the team. A challenge for all NHL clubs with US players." MORE: If Team USA goes to the White House on Tuesday, Matthews certainly could be back in Tampa Bay on Wednesday with Toronto. Would he be ready to play? That might be a bigger Mark Teixeira Jersey point of concern. Obviously, he's in game shape, having just played high-intensity games at the Olympics. But a couple weeks spent in Europe, the lengthy plane travel and the gold medal celebration aftermath could make sitting these guys for a game or two a po sibility. The Maple Leafs don't have much margin for error, though. If they don't come out of the Olympic break firing on all cylinders, they're likely going to have to be sellers at the trade deadline. MORE: This is a proud franchise, despite its lack of winning the big games in recent history. The Maple Leafs certainly didn't come into this season thinking they'd have to sell off key pieces before the deadline. A bumpy season has changed their reality, though, and now it could rest on how quickly Matthews hits the ground running when he returns. The key part of that, "when," is still to be determined. More NHL news: Reggie Jackson Jersey