NHL's Auston Matthews Settles Pants-Dropping Case, Apologizes Again

NHL star Auston Matthews is off the hook in his pants-dropping case ... he settled with the woman who accused him of dropping trou in front her -- and apologized again for the incident on Friday.

"The case has been dismissed and I just want to reiterate again just how truly sorry I am for my actions and my behavior,” Matthews told reporters.

“I never meant to cause any distress to this woman and I can assure you that I’ve learned from my mistakes and my actions."

Matthews allegedly pulled down his pants in front of a female security guard at his condo complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. at around 2 AM on May 26.

The woman claims Matthews and his friends drunkenly tried to play a joke on her by messing with her car door while she was on duty ... and after she confronted them, Matthews took his pants down.

She alleges the 22-year-old Maple Leafs center -- who left his boxers ON -- grabbed his ass cheeks in her direction ... and she was PISSED over the whole ordeal.

In body cam footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear her explaining the incident to cops ... telling an officer, "None of this s**t is funny!"

Matthews was eventually hit with a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct ... but a court official tells us the case was dismissed earlier this week after the parties reached a settlement.

Unclear what the dollar amount might have been to close out the case ... but Matthews, who claimed he was sorry for the incident in a meeting with reporters over the summer, apologized vehemently again on Friday.

Fun Fact -- Matthews is in the middle of a 5-year, $58 MILLION contract.