Following Jake Muzzin's Shutdown, Nothing Changes for the Maple Leafs' Defenseman

While the team had hoped that a follow-up appointment this month would change Muzzin's fate, the reality had set in from teammates for a while that they would likely be without one of their top-four defensemen for the playoffs.

"It's unfortunate news," Auston Matthews said of Muzzin. "I think he brings a unique experience to this team with his presence and his leadership. His experience and holding guys accountable and all that kind of stuff. He's a big part of this team, still. We all have a lot of respect for him."

Muzzin's absence may hit hardest in the playoffs. Although he was limited to just 47 regular season games last season sustaining two concussions, he was an effective player during the team's 2022 first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, bringing the right balance of offensive ability (two goals and one assist in the series) while being difficult to play against with his physical play.

Unless they make a trade between now and the Mar. 3 deadline, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is good with allowing the team to fill Muzzin's absence by committee.

"It's difficult to replace what he does. There's not a lot of defensemen that are as versatile in terms of what they bring with offensive ability, competitiveness, physicality, penalty killing, size, and all those pieces," Keefe admitted." Like all the injuries we've had all season, you aren't necessarily going to replace the player but there are other players that can come in and give you good minutes and you need your team game to take care of any of the holes that might be there. That's what we've done all season long, particularly with our young players."

Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren and Justin Holl all stepped up in the absence of several top defensemen who were injured for long stretches this season, including alternate captain Morgan Reilly and TJ Brodie. Sandin and Liljegren are short on playoff experience. 

Sandin played in five games during the 2021 opening-round playoff series loss to the Montreal Canadiens but was unable to get back in for the 2022 playoffs when he recovered from a knee injury. Liljegren has seen his game take a big step this season and has fed off the chemistry with both Sandin and veteran defenseman Mark Giordano. But like Sandin, Liljegren has to prove it in the playoffs. He played in Games 1 and 2 against the Lightning before he was taken out of the lineup for what ended up being the remainder of the series.

Replacing Muzzin won't be easy, but it's clear the defenseman has the respect of the room. During Thursday's practice, he looked on as the defense took part in a drill led by assistant coach Dean Chynoweth. At various points of the drill, each defender took time to skate over to the bench and greet Muzzin.

Throughout the process, the team has been careful to think about Muzzin, the person and his life after hockey beyond anything else. And although he can't play, he's paying it back by doing all the things he can do away from the ice.

His leadership is his greatest asset and in that way, he's leading by example.