Surprise visitor spotted at optional Leafs skate in LA and his presence was certainly felt
It was a welcome sight on the Maple Leafs' bench this morning to see former Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin at ice level when the team was conducting its optional skate in Los Angeles ahead of tonight's meeting with the Kings.
Muzzin, who was a fan favorite and a key figure amongst the Leafs leadership group, saw his career cut short due to a neck injury that forced him into early retirement. He was then was hired by the Leafs as a scout.
During the skate, one could not help noticing that all 8 Leafs defensemen were on the ice, which is extremely rare. There are a few layers to this, obviously. First, with the Leafs' blueline being hampered by injuries all season, to have all eight available on the ice is a welcome sight. Secondly, to see all 8, including tonight's six active defenders taking the optional skate, when most typically do not, it was certainly a noteworthy occurrence.
With Muzzin in attendance, one might be right to assume that he could have had some influence for this to happen, especially with the team currently on a 3-game losing skid coming out of the break.
The former LA King, who was traded to the Maple Leafs in 2019 in a package involving Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi, was immediately welcomed by Leafs Nation, garnering a lot of love and respect with his physical play and generally great personality. Having won the Stanley Cup with Kings, he brought a pedigree of winning and understanding what it takes to get the job done in the playoffs, though he was unfortunately never able to do so in Toronto.
During his 13-year career, Muzzin played 683 games, producing 69 goals and 225 assists for 294 points and was a plus 62. Keeping Muzzin in the organization is a strong move and has sat well with the fanbase, for obvious reasons.
While Muzzin's playing days are more than likely entirely behind him, the impact he can still have within this organization in an off-ice role is still significant and with how well he is connected with all of the guys in the locker room, it's not a shock to see him doing what he can to band everyone together during a rough patch for the club.
| POLL | ||
2 JANVIER | 880 ANSWERS Surprise visitor spotted at optional Leafs skate in LA and his presence was certainly felt Do you see Jake Muzzin behind the Leafs' bench one day? | ||
| Yes - he would be a great assistant | 458 | 52 % |
| No, I'm not sure he has what it takes to coach | 167 | 19 % |
| No, he's more suited for player development | 255 | 29 % |
| List of polls | ||
