Jake Muzzin jokes about why he needs to get back into the mix sooner than later

Muzzin has two seasons remaining on his current deal and will see his full no-move protection evaporate next summer and give way to a modified NTC, which will allow him to submit a 10-team no-trade list. There's a very real chance that at this time next year, Muzz will be playing for another team.

As for this year, the Leafs have dealt with an abundance of injury issues early on during training camp. One such injury is Muzzin's. The 33-year-old has been out since the start of training camp with a back injury and has now missed 3 preseason games.

On Thursday, Muzzin was asked what he thought of Calle Jarnkrok and Alexander Kerfoot stepping up and playing shifts on defense on Wednesday after Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom suffered first period injuries. Given his response, he was pretty impressed by what he saw from the pair of two-way forwards.

Muzzin has been skating for several days and joined his teammates in a modified capacity on Wednesday, so it appears as though he is earmarked for a return at some point in the immediate future - perhaps as early as the team's next preseason game on Friday in Ottawa.