Still No Jake Muzzin, but the Toronto Maple Leafs Are Almost Healthy
The Toronto Maple Leafs are very close to having their entire roster healthy. On Sunday, February 6th, defenseman Jake Muzzin returned to team practice.
Muzzin has been out of action since the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the St. Louis Blues on January 15th. During that game, Muzzin took a hit from Blues forward Klim Kostin.
He was able to finish the game, but during practice the following day, Muzzin complained that he didn’t feel right.
After some tests, Muzzin was diagnosed with a concussion the following day and has been out ever since. During his recent injury stint, the Toronto Maple Leafs compiled a 5-1-0 record. As good as that is, the team will be glad to have Muzzin back in the lineup.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Carolina Hurricanes
Although Muzzin has returned to full practice, he won’t play tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Muzzin has had to deal with a couple of interruptions this season. He was among a group of players who had Covid-19 during an outbreak in December. When the Toronto Maple Leafs resumed their season on January 1st against the Ottawa Senators, Muzzin did not play as he and the club worked on his conditioning.
When Muzzin was asked about the concussion he explained that concussions or head injuries can be finicky sometimes and that it is just part of playing a physical sport. He also mentioned that he suffered a concussion about ten years ago, but doesn’t remember the incident.
Before this recent injury, Muzzin wasn’t having his best season. The Leafs defender is 32 and the miles may be starting to show. He’s still very effective, but isn’t posting the same excellent numbers he was last year.
With two more seasons after this one with a $5.625 million salary-cap hit, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be hoping that Muzzin returns to form and doesn’t keep declining. Having a fully healthy Muzzin in the lineup will give team general manager Kyle Dubas more to think about heading into the trade deadline on March 21st. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com).
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Jake Muzzin has proven in the past that he can be an important part of this team. If he can return to the level of play he showed last season, it will benefit the Toronto Maple Leafs. I hope the team doesn’t rush him back too soon.