Maple Leafs release statement in response to report player tested positive for virus

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not confirming Auston Matthews has tested positive for COVID-19, following media reports stating he has contracted the virus.

Steve Simmons from the Toronto Sun broke the news on Friday afternoon, saying that he received the information from two “National Hockey League sources outside Toronto.”

According to the report, the 22-year-old has since gone into quarantine at his home in Scottsdale, Colorado. Goaltender Frederik Andersen, who lived with Matthews during the NHL break, has reportedly not tested positive and is no longer living with the star centre.

In a statement to Daily Hive, the Toronto Maple Leafs said they “will not be commenting on reports surrounding testing for any of the Club’s players or staff.”

“A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The Club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive test results, in that the League will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the number of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected Clubs or Players,” stated the team.

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The news comes shortly after a public statement from the Tampa Bay Lightning, who said that three players and several staff members have tested positive for the virus. The affected players and staff are “asymptomatic other than a few cases of low-grade fever,” according to the Lightning.