Auston Matthews looks like he's one step closer to returning. 

He was on the ice Wednesday morning at Leafs practice, skating with the team for the first time since last Monday's win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

"For [the injury] to not fully recover and then tweak it again, you’re back to square one. We’ve been pretty cautious. Been feeling better day by day, that’s all you can really ask for," Matthews told TSN's Kristen Shilton. 

The centre has missed the team's previous three games with an upper-body injury and had only skated on his own before Wednesday.

Head coach Mike Babcock said Monday that the plan for the 20-year-old was to skate with the team Wednesday and play Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. He said after practice on Wednesday he'd have to speak to the team's doctors before determining his status against the Devils.

With Matthews back at practice, Babcock shuffled his lines once again on Wednesday. Mitch Marner and Tyler Bozak moved up the lineup to skate with James van Riemsdyk, while Dominic Moore and Connor Brown dropped to the fourth line with Matt Martin. Patrick Marleau moved back to left wing after seeing time at centre in recent weeks. Matthews skated with Zach Hyman and William Nylander, on a line that has been a constant when all three players have been healthy this season.

Leafs practice lines:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Marleau-Kadri-Komarov
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner
Martin-Moore-Brown

Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Borgman-Carrick 

Extra: Leivo, Soshnikov, Polak

Babcock said Brown took the move down the lineup well. Brown opened the season on the fourth line before Mitch Marner was demoted to that role.

"I said to [Brown] today, 'Did you check out the lineup?' He said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'You're getting screwed again,' and he just laughed," Babcock said. "He knows he ain't going to be there for long."

In 16 games  this season, Matthews has 10 goals and nine assists. The Leafs went 3-0 in their contests without Matthews last week.

He did not miss a single game during his 40-goal rookie season.