Maple Leafs’ Jake Muzzin out for remainder of season

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that defenseman Jake Muzzin will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 season due to a cervical spine injury.

Muzzin hasn’t played since Oct. 17 against Arizona when he was forced to leave the game after 9:54 of ice time. He had one assist in four games before the injury.

Muzzin has been plagued with injury issues during his career. He was out three times with concussion issues last year and missed the start of training camp with a nagging back injury. Muzzin played in 47 regular-season games and the entire seven-game playoff run with the Leafs last year.

The club said it’ll provide a future update about Muzzin’s playing status at training camp in September. It’s unclear whether he’ll play again in the NHL at this point. Muzzin has spent 12 years between Los Angeles and Toronto, winning a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2014. He also won the World Cup and a World Championship with Canada internationally.

Muzzin has one more year after this on his contract with a $5.625 million AAV. With the 34-year-old on long-term injured reserve for most of the season, the Leafs have had some extra cap space to work with.

Toronto has used 12 defensemen this season and previously made a trade to acquire Conor Timmins from Arizona. He’s been effective offensively, while Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren have managed to up their games in Muzzin’s absence. The Leafs have been rumored to be interested in a variety of blue liners ahead of the trade deadline, which includes Chicago’s Jake McCabe. GM Kyle Dubas made a big splash up front last week, acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues.

The Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 35-15-8 record. They are just three points ahead of Tampa Bay with two games in hand.