The Toronto Maple Leafs have a very solid core of experienced defensemen on their roster, but in assembling it, they may have given away the wrong player.
Sean Durzi was one of the pieces (along with Carl Grundstrom and their 2019 first-round pick) in the trade that saw the Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Jake Muzzin back in January 2019.
Sean Durzi has since graduated to the Los Angeles Kings line-up and has proven himself to be worthy of an NHL job.
Meanwhile, Jake Muzzin while proving important to the Leafs defensively as they have made the playoffs every year since his arrival, is clearly on somewhat of a decline.
Toronto Maple Leafs Would Love Sean Durzi Back
Of course, you can make certain arguments that the LA Kings are a better spot for Durzi as he found himself forced into their line-up earlier than he might’ve as a Maple Leafs player, but he grabbed the opportunity last season.
When you compare him (at 5-on-5) with Jake Muzzin last season (per Natural Stat Trick), he’s right there with the far more experienced player in terms of Corsi, outdoes his Fenwick score (slightly) and doesn’t show up too badly when looking to Goals For percentages.
However, the more experienced Muzzin definitely offers a little more on defense, with his 31.97 expected Goals Against significantly lower than Durzi at 41.62.
On balance, some of that lies with Durzi’s teammates; the Toronto Maple Leafs after all were the fourth-best regular season team last season with a goal differential of +62. By contrast, the LA Kings were 14th in the league with a goal differential of just +3.
Put into a tough spot, Durzi showed an ability to step up to the mark and grab the chance he was afforded.
Now, none of this is to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs would rather have Sean Durzi over Jake Muzzin, because after all, Muzzin brings different intangibles to the locker-room, not least a Stanley Cup ring and the experiences that go with that.
Likewise, while Durzi did fulfil a role on the penalty-kill in Los Angeles; he saw less ice-time shorthanded in 64 games than Muzzin did in 47. Safe to say, the youngster is still learning that side of the game in the NHL.
You can make the argument that the Leafs need a physical element, but Durzi showed some physicality with 3.54 hits, 5.78 blocks and 1.24 takeaways per 60 minutes ice-time. Muzzin only trumps him statistically when it comes to hitting last season.
While comparing just one Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman to Sean Durzi really fails to capture the true picture of a defense that is logjammed, so much so that Rasmus Sandin has yet to ink a renewal, it does highlight that Durzi would’ve likely proven a useful piece.
As you look back on the trade, it’s still a win for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been a Cup Contender since the second Muzzin arrived here. You don’t get anything for free, and if the cost of getting a 2 x Cup Winning Vet on your roster for (so far) four playoff runs is a good (not great) young defenseman, you pay it every time.