In an expected move, the Toronto Maple Leafs placed the defenseman Jake Muzzin on the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) with a neck injury on Tuesday.
Muzzin left in an October 17 loss to the Arizona Coyotes and did not return. The 33-year-old has suffered from several ailments during his tenure with the Maple Leafs and this latest setback has the Maple Leafs scrambling to find a suitable replacement. It’s also important to note that Muzzin missed training camp due to a back injury.
How does Muzzin’s LTIR designation affect the Maple Leafs for the rest of the year? We’ll break it down here.
The Leafs could make a big swing at Jakob Chychrun
CapFriendly was the first outlet to break the news, and that’s a good start. Muzzin’s absence frees up $5.625 million in Toronto’s LTIR pool. How can the Maple Leafs mobilize with this new money?
Let’s start with the home run that many are hoping Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas will take. Jakob Chychrun, the Arizona Coyotes’ 24-year-old star defenseman, is readily available on the trade market although the first part is a misnomer, an overly simplistic bet. Surely Toronto can afford Chychrun’s salary without Muzzin. Carrying a cap of $4.6 million for the next three seasons, Chychrun is unquestionably one of the best values in the league and high-end defenders entering their primes like this are rarely made available for good raison.
What is the asking price? Toronto would almost certainly need to walk away with one (or more) of their future first-round picks, as well as one of their future cornerstones in Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies or Rasmus Sandin. If the idea of sending a first and Robertson made you hesitate, as a Maple Leafs fan, we don’t entirely blame you. It’s a lot to give up. But you’re also making a calculated bet that the Maple Leafs are firmly in their Cup contention window, while securing an asset that connects the winning timeline now with a more patient long-term view.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reported Saturday that Chychrun requested a trade, but the Coyotes are asking for a package that equates to two first-round picks with a few established players. It might sound overly simplistic, but would you trade your 2023 and 2025 premieres with Rasmus Sandin or Matthew Knies for a left-wing rising star in three years of team control? Dubas and his team are surely reviewing the machinations now.
It’s also worth noting that Timothy Liljegren is working his way back from offseason hernia surgery and once he’s ready to return to the Maple Leafs, his $1.4 million salary will count towards the Toronto ceiling space.
Filling the void of Muzzin without signature or exchange
Trying to fill the void left by Muzzin internally is harder to bear, especially for the legitimately impatient sect of the fanbase who want an immediate replacement. Toronto recalled Filip Kral from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL in immediate action. Kral is highly valued in the Toronto system — he’s a late find in the 2018 draft — but the team will almost certainly have to shelter his minutes when promoted. He’s not a flashy player and will aim to mitigate mistakes, but a learning curve is to be expected for a 23-year-old who couldn’t crack the opening night roster. Kral will be used as the seventh defender, while the more experienced and reliable Victor Mete will slip in as the sixth defender alongside veteran Mark Giordano.
Rasmus Sandin was paired with Justin Holl in Muzzin’s absence and although we’re dealing with a small sample, there’s enough to suggest this couple just aren’t good enough to be considered second Toronto pair for the remainder of the season. Sandin-Holl played 44 minutes and 22 seconds together at 5v5, with a Corsi of 47.6 and an abysmal 37.2% share of expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick.
And what is perhaps more alarming is that Sandin has been much better off without Holl, whose traveling style of play takes a while for his partner to adapt. Sandin is proving to be one of Toronto’s best players at suppressing chances, but Holl’s independent style of play, where he jumps into the running as a fourth striker, is likely giving his new partner some headaches.
Morgan Rielly and TJ Brodie aren’t going to be separated in order to give Toronto more balance and that notion would be considered a type of emergency move for Sheldon Keefe. Rielly in particular has been on the ice for nine goals at 5v5, but continuity, stability and quality of opposition matter, so Toronto are banking on the rest of their core to step up while demanding their best defenseman start. to play at an All-Star level again. He’s never been seen as an elite stoppage defender, but he needs to step up his game on his side with Muzzin out.
Liljegren is expected to return, while Jordie Benn is an NHL-caliber defenseman the Maple Leafs have in their system, but he’s also recovering from a groin injury suffered during the preseason. Benn’s $750,000 cap isn’t particularly hard to get around either.
The wait-and-see approach may be Toronto’s most practical option, while the workload and responsibility of Sandin in particular take a dramatic leap. It would fall to Dubas to make a major swing right now, but with so much to do this season, with his employment prospectus among the factors to be assessed, the Maple Leafs may be forced to rely on their own internal development. to cope with the absence created by Muzzin’s injury.
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