Maple Leafs place defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term IR with concussion

After a series of complicated roster moves earlier in the day, the Toronto Maple Leafs have now placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve.

The team made a series of recalls and re-assignments Wednesday to get as close to the salary cap as possible, including briefly sending Rasmus Sandin back to the AHL and recalling defensemen Brennan Menell and Kristians Rubins. This permits the Leafs to get as much LTIR relief from Muzzin’s $5.625M cap hit as possible.

Muzzin will be out for at least 10 games and 24 days. But after suffering his second concussion in a short timeframe, Toronto is expected to be cautious with his return.

If Muzzin is healthy before the end of the regular season, Toronto would need to be cap-compliant in order to return him to the active roster. But if Muzzin won’t return until the beginning of the postseason or sometime during it, the Maple Leafs have roughly an additional $5.6M to throw around at the trade deadline and have those players for the playoffs.

In the meantime, look for Sandin and Timothy Liljegren to see an increased role.