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Toronto Maple Leafs 2018-19 Player Grades

By James Tanner

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 07: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs reacts to the crowd after the Leafs scored against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on October 7, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 07: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs reacts to the crowd after the Leafs scored against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on October 7, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 11: Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Boston Bruins in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 11: Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Boston Bruins in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on April 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Jake Muzzin by Nick Barden

Jake Muzzin gets a B+ for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline.

One thing I believe that maybe some people don’t is that  Jake Muzzin is 100% the defenseman the Leafs  needed at the trade deadline.

This season, Muzzin had 37 points, his lowest total since the 16/17 season. I wanted to give Muzzin a higher grade, and in some parts of his game, he deserved it.

The way him and Zaitsev played against Boston in the playoffs was phenomenal, and even him just being able to contribute with Zaitsev beside him is remarkable. If you want to get into analytics a bit, his CF% was his highest since the 16/17 season and his PDO is the highest it’s ever been.

The reason why his grade is a B+ is because with the good season he’s had, there’s been things that have been difficult too. His move from LA to Toronto wasn’t as smooth as we would’ve hoped, but 4 points in his first 11 games isn’t bad either.

Of course, he’s not going to come to this team and ‘bloom’ right away. He’s has to get comfortable with the guys and get used to the systems. He wasn’t bad and he also wasn’t great, but a B+ grade is pretty good. With the way his season ended, I can tell next year will be a big year for him and I know he will take advantage of every opportunity he gets.

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