2019 - Toronto Acquire Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings
Another magician type move from Kyle Dubas, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired top pairing defenseman Jake Muzzin with an additional year on his contract from the Los Angeles Kings ahead of the 2019 NHL trade deadline.
The cost to acquire a top pairing player was not cheap as they had to trade top defensive prospect Sean Durzi, a feisty young winger in Carl Grundstrom and a first round pick. Durzi has proved to be an offensive defenseman in the league collecting 41-points last year, however the loss of Grundstrom was not as impactful as he has struggled to become an everyday player.
The one-thing that Maple Leafs were without for years was an additional top defenseman on the team to help Morgan Rielly and Muzzin fit that role which came with just a $4 million cap hit. Despite the big add to the club, Mike Babcock famously complained that Muzzin wasn't a right handed shot defenseman.
Muzzin endeared himself to fans very quickly as in his third game in a Maple Leafs jersey he registered a three point game including a powerplay goal. The former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds provided the team with a shutdown defender who could move the puck, provide some offence and played fearless which led to an extension during his second season.
The only downfall to Muzzin's time as a Maple Leaf was some drastic injuries that ended his career far too early. During his five and a half years he was only able to suit up in 187 games, but was arguably their top defenseman in each of those contests and collected 81-points, averaging over 21-minutes a night.