Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Trades to Replace Jake Muzzin
By Mike Jack
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that defenseman, Jake Muzzin, will be on injured reserve until at least March. He will be re-evaluated in February to see if he will play any more games this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will miss Jake Muzzin, but as compensation they will get his out of having his contract count towards the salary cap.
The 33 year-old Muzzin is out with a cervical spine injury. It’s a serious injury that threatens his hockey career as well as his quality of life in the future beyond hockey.
Leafs General Manager, Kyle Dubas, has said that in the short term, Jake Muzzin will be replaced on the ice internally. He mentioned that Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin will both continue to see increased ice-time.
However, if Muzzin’s re-evaluation in February determines that he will not return this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are sure to be active in finding a replacement by the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3rd.
Jake Muzzin’s current cap hit is $5.625 million. The Leafs will have enough space to bring in an exceptional player at the deadline without expecting their suitor to retain much salary if Muzzin must sit out. (player salaries from capfriendly.com)
When healthy, Muzzin brings a lot to the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline. He’s a great two-way player with size. He hits, blocks shots, and kills penalties, and he’s underrated offensively as well.
Here are 3 defensemen who could be on the trading block at this year’s trade deadline that could help fill the gap left by Jake Muzzin: