Recent Leafs roster moves suggests that Muzzin is headed for LTIR
The Maple Leafs have moved defenseman Jake Muzzin to injured reserve and loaned defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the AHL Marlies and called up a pair of defenders in Brennan Menell and Kristians Rubins on Wednesday. Odd moves on the surface, but the explanation is actually pretty simple.
After Jake Muzzin's unfortunate and scary incident against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, it looks like he will be out for quite a while. Two concussions in such rapid succession have the potential to cause issues that could affect Muzzin well past his playing career. A third could be life-altering in a very bad way. It's best to take things slowly and prioritize his recovery rather than try to rush him back to playing.
This will mean Muzzin will be placed on LTIR. In doing so, the Leafs will gain back the 5.625 Million dollars worth of cap space that Muzzin's contract takes up. Its not quite so simple as just taking his salary off the books, however. The Leafs will only gain the amount of cap space they are over the limit, and so before placing Muzzin on LTIR, they need to get as close to the cap as possible. In loaning Sandin to the Marlies and calling up Mennell and Rubins the Leafs do just that, leaving just $9,700 in cap space. In situations like these, having the man who wrote the salary cap rules, Brandon Pridham, on your staff is extremely helpful.
Based on these moves, the Leafs are maximizing every bit of space they can to add at or before the deadline. Without Jake Muzzin in the lineup, the Leafs have added flexibility, but they've also got a big hole to fill on their back end. These moves indicate that Dubas is planning on making a move sooner rather than later.
Could we see one of the rumoured moves, such as Luke Schenn and J.T. Miller heading to Toronto? Or perhaps something a little less advertised, like Mark Giordano and Jared McCann from Seattle? Whatever the play, I think we should probably brace ourselves for a sizeable deal in the not-too-distant future.
