Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin will miss time with a neck injury and Jakob Chychrun is back on the ice. Could a deal be reached for the Arizona Coyotes’ top trade? TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger discuss this and more with host James Duthie.
James Duthie: Along with insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger, losing to Arizona was bad enough for Toronto, but it’s one of 82 games finished; losing Jake Muzzin to a neck injury, given his history – much more concerning for the Leafs. How do they handle this one?
Chris Johnston: With extreme caution… I think it’s fair to say that Jake Muzzin is going to be spending some time here on the sidelines – listen, the story is the biggest concern here for the Leafs. He had two concussions in the space of a month last year, he’s had a number of other injuries as well, and I think given that history the Leafs are going to be a little more careful here. . Jake Muzzin underwent tests on Tuesday and it’s expected to take a few days, maybe even longer before we see how his body responds in his recovery from this latest illness, but remember James, he missed six weeks after a second concussion last season and I would expect there would still be plenty of caution on this one.
JD: I guess caution is the word you could use with how Montreal is handling Juraj Slafkovsky for different reasons, just in his development as an NHL hockey player – how long should he stay with the big club, how far away are we from a decision on where he will play for the rest of the season?
Darren Dreger: It’s a work in progress, and unfortunately for Juraj Slafkovsky and possibly the management of the Montreal Canadiens, there’s an analysis of his shift-by-shift play in the NHL. It is thought likely that Juraj Slafkovsky will be sent to the AHL, but they want him to develop an NHL identity first. What that means is they want to see him play more North-South, they want him to use that big body, be physical, they want a better awareness of what he’s doing when he’s away from the puck, so those are the qualities they’re trying to instill at this point. Don’t be surprised if they put him in the press box for a game or two and let him watch – sometimes you get into the rhythm of the game doing that and they also have decisions looming because they have a lot attackers up front but he will eventually be fired.
JD: Winnipeg 1-1 without their head coach Rick Bowness, his battle with COVID came at an unfortunate time, when is he likely to be back behind the bench?
CJ: Well, there’s good news here, there’s actually hope that he could make his debut – at least his second time – with the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday in Denver. Now, that requires Rick Bowness to first pass the necessary tests in order to get him out of the COVID protocol. He would fly out to Denver on game day, Wednesday morning, and potentially be behind the bench that night and as you mentioned, yeah, that wasn’t the opportune or ideal start because the team held on good and he’ll be back this week assuming all goes well.
JD: I think it’s fair to say that the Coyotes’ victory over the Maple Leafs is somewhat shocking just because of their expectations this year and the expectations of the Leafs, although anything can happen in a regular season game, but maybe more because they didn’t have Jakob Chychron. When does he come back to join the Coyotes and start auditioning for other teams?
CJ: Well he’s going to do it now he’s joining them on the road because they’re in Montreal and it’s a huge step for him because look like we all know we’ve been talking about this for a year who he would appreciate a change of scenery, but the feeling of the end of things for the Coyotes here is that he needs to start playing again, and play well before this trade can manifest. Don’t forget he hurt his ankle at the end of last season, he had wrist surgery in the offseason this summer and that’s what he’s coming back to now and there has had teams interested, but those teams want to see him play before they pull the trigger on a deal.
DD: Listen, there’s a growing list of Canadian teams that are looking for a defender – you know, Chychrun is high rent and the demand is huge, so we’ll see if teams like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa , Edmonton or Vancouver will give in and pay that price or they will look elsewhere. But I can tell you that these are the teams that are in the market. If you look at Montreal, they’re definitely looking for a right-handed shooter; Look at Toronto, yes, they are absolutely looking for a right-handed shooter. Pierre Olivier-Joseph of the Pittsburgh Penguins is there, I don’t relate him to Montreal, or Toronto, or any of the Canadian teams, but Pittsburgh has nine defensemen. He’s a young player, a first-round pick, so he could be a good fit for one of those clubs.
JD: Tampa Bay Lightning Suspend Ian Cole After Anonymous Twitter Allegations, NHL Quickly Investigate, Reinstate; the Players Association wasn’t happy about that…where do they go from here on situations that can arise that are similar?
DD: As the AP acknowledged in its statement over the weekend, there will be ongoing discussions with the NHL. It was risky, setting a precedent to some extent, and there are always concerns in terms of competition, I mean what if it’s a playoff game and that happens? Are you removing this player from the lineup? Then, more and more, the world of the game and how it’s applied to the NHL is going to become a factor, so it’ll be an interesting fall to see how those talks between the AP and the league play out.
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