The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced they have placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve.
The veteran defenseman left the game against the Coyotes on Monday with a neck injury and it seems to be worse than expected. This is the second injury he has sustained over the last couple of months, he missed the first week of training camp with back discomfort in September.
Muzzin has battled numerous injuries over the past few seasons and currently does not have a timetable for when he will return to action. The most optimistic possibility is a mid-November comeback but there’s no guarantee of that.
The move gives the Maple Leafs an additional $5,625,000 in available cap room this season. With Matt Murray and Timothy Liljegren accompanying Muzzin on LTIR, the Leafs now have plenty of cap space to work with.
Muzzin had played four games this year, scoring a single assist and a zero rating. He carved out a career for himself in Los Angeles as a dependable two-way defenseman but his abilities have taken a hit in recent years. During eight years in L.A., Muzzin recorded a 57% Corsi. In five years in Toronto, his Corsi stats have fallen to 49%, below the league average. At 33 years of age, Muzzin may be approaching the twilight years of his long NHL career.
It will be a long and hard battle for Muzzin to return to the NHL but he is determined to put in the work and see if his body responds. There is a chance Muzzin has played his final games in the NHL. Through 12 seasons, he played in 683 games, scoring 69 goals and 294 points. He won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014 and he is one of 11 players from that team still playing in the NHL.
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