Photo: NHLPA

Steve Simmonds of the Toronto Sun reported on Friday afternoon that Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has tested positive for the coronavirus, just hours after it was reported that three Tampa Bay Lightning players and two staff members contracted the virus.

Matthews, 22, has gone into quarantine in his offseason home in Arizona, which has been among the states seeing a surge in coronavirus cases for the past couple of weeks, with teammate Frederick Andersen. The same source hinted Andersen, who is no longer in Arizona, did not test positive.

Matthews was hoping to be ready to travel to Toronto for training camp, which is presumably opening on July 10. The Maple Leafs will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in a best-of-five qualifying round series if and when the 2019-20 NHL season resumes.

A statement from the @MapleLeafs pic.twitter.com/Oj1v8i9wPp

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 19, 2020

Matthews or his agent, Judd Moldaver, did not respond to messages that were sent by the Toronto Sun.

A number of Arizona Coyotes players who were training with Matthews also tested positive for the coronavirus recently.

This is the first case by an NHL player has been reported publicly.

The Lightning closed their facilities temporarily on Friday and the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies, who are training in Florida, had five players test positive for the coronavirus.

By Harrison Brown