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Leafs Pick Up Muzzin...Definite Upgrade on Defense


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muzzin.jpg.350d8da0ac4710fda8a71a437acd9588.jpg

 

From Fox Sports
https://www.foxsports.com/west/story/jake-muzzin-traded-from-los-angeles-kings-to-toronto-maple-leafs-first-round-draft-pick-012819

 

From the Sporting News

http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/maple-leafs-trade-carl-grundstrom-sean-durzi-and-2019-first-round-pick-for-jake-muzzin-nhl-news/cw69ysuq89qs1gltmia439fus

 

 

Jake Muzzin going to the Leafs in exchange for a 2019 1st round pick, the rights to 20 yr old forward playing in the OHL, Sean Durzi, and 21 yr old forward Carl Gundstrom who was playing on the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

 

Muzzin, signed through next season, instantly upgrades the Toronto defense as a do-it-all type defender who can also contribute on offense.
The Leafs currently have guys that can do some of what Muzzin does, but none of their defenders can do it all as a package like he can.

Muzzin won't overshadow a guy like Gardiner or Reilly on offense, but can still provide offense, plus he will certainly hit and block shots like a Nikita Zaitsev or Ron Hainsey, but be a better skater than either of those two and shoot the puck a heck of a lot more than either as well.

Here are some comparison numbers between Muzzin and some of the current Leaf defenders. He stacks up quite well...…..and this years numbers, he did those while on a woeful LA Kings team.....Muzzin's numbers should see some uptick playing for the much better offensive oriented Leafs.


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Some may say Toronto gave up an awful lot to get Muzzin (ironically, it was Drew Doughty's name being bandied about as the guy going to the Leafs), but with Toronto in "win now" mode, Muzzin offers the best chance for their blueline rather than waiting around to see what guys like Durzi or Gundstrom could offer them down the road...and as for the 1st rounder, look, the Leafs have enough talent both on the roster now and in the AHL that they can actually afford to be without a first rounder, particularly if Muzzin plays like he did when the Kings were contending.

Furthermore, due to Muzzin's versatile play, it should make other guys' jobs on the blueline easier as they won't feel like they  have to do too much (particularly a guy like Jake Gardiner) and can instead focus on their own specific skill set.

Overall, a very good deal for the Leafs who come a bit closer to icing a kind of blue line now that a team like Tampa Bay is icing.

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Potential new d pairings:

 

Gardiner/Rielly

Muzzin/Zaitsev

Dermott/Hainsey

 

I like that TO picked up Muzzin, it shows an all in mentality, it shows that Dubie thinks the team is ready. Let's hope he's right.

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Montreal is also looking for d help, which makes me wonder whether they might  target Minnesota's steady Eddie Jonas Brodin. Still a 1st rounder and an OHL stud seems like a lot to give up. Montreal is good enough to grab a wild card in the East.....

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Absolute great add for your boys, a Swiss army knife defender who can play about any role. Second unit power play? Check. Shut down guy on first pair? Check. Puck mover on second pairing? Check. Penalty kill? Check. He is the kind of guy who every team loves to have. A first and a couple of prospects is high payment but he is signed beyond this year so they managed to cover the almost certain eventuality of losing Gardiner with Muzzin aboard and one of the kids learning the NHL on the bottom pairing next year. Smart pickup and they managed to not give up a roster player. This is the type of move that winning organizations make.

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The thing I like about Muzzin the most is his humility, I listened to a podcast interview with him last year, he was drafted by the Pens, went unsigned, had a tryout with the, either the Senators or Preds and didn't make the team so he returned as an overage player to the OHL and had a great year, had interest from only two teams in the NHL, signed with the Kings and was expected to be AHL fodder but worked his tail off to have a career. Every thing he has he has earned, he takes nothing for granted. I have made a point of following him since that podcast and in every interview he truly seems like a guy who is astounded that he has had a career and works his tail off every day. I think when the time comes they will have to peel his uniform off of him at gunpoint, he just loves the game. I have heard him say several times, kind of his mantra, never take the game for granted. 

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1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

Absolute great add for your boys, a Swiss army knife defender who can play about any role. Second unit power play? Check. Shut down guy on first pair? Check. Puck mover on second pairing? Check. Penalty kill? Check. He is the kind of guy who every team loves to have. A first and a couple of prospects is high payment but he is signed beyond this year so they managed to cover the almost certain eventuality of losing Gardiner with Muzzin aboard and one of the kids learning the NHL on the bottom pairing next year. Smart pickup and they managed to not give up a roster player. This is the type of move that winning organizations make.

 

The time to go for it is definitely now. I'm glad the Leafs didn't roll into the playoffs with a vulnerable defence like they've done so many times in years past. They're learning... and that alone is something new for Leaf-land.  :)

 

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12 hours ago, hobie said:

Gardiner/Rielly

Muzzin/Zaitsev

Dermott/Hainsey

 

This is a good trade for the Leafs. And he is signed for next year too. This gives them a solid top pair.

 

Jake MuzzinMorgan Rielly

 

Jake GardinerNikita Zaitsev

 

Travis DermottRon Hainsey

 

 

Not to shabby on paper however i would still maybe look to add some thing more too it maybe.

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1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

Second unit power play?

 

No.

 

1ST POWERPLAY UNIT
Auston Matthews
AUSTON MATTHEWS

Rating: 83.6#7 SK1

John Tavares
JOHN TAVARES

Rating: 81.5#12 SK2

Nazem Kadri
NAZEM KADRI

Rating: 77.2#37 SK3

Morgan Rielly
MORGAN RIELLY

Rating: 79.5#11 SK4

Mitch Marner

 

 

2ND POWERPLAY UNIT
Kasperi Kapanen
KASPERI KAPANEN

Rating: 74.3#40 SK1

William Nylander
WILLIAM NYLANDER

Rating: 74.1#43 SK2

Trevor Moore
TREVOR MOORE

Rating: 73.5#52 SK3

Patrick Marleau
PATRICK MARLEAU

Rating: 72.8#58 SK4

Jake Gardiner
JAKE GARDINER

Rating: 76.9#11 SK5

 

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EDIT:
On my original post guys.
My apologies...I had a bogus stat report the first time...………….I had LAST season's stats listed and they really didn't reflect what the players have done this year and how it related to the trade.

I updated the stat line comparisons with this year's up to date as of the time of the trade, and threw in one more player for comparison, Morgan Rielly.

Sorry for the mess up.

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@OccamsRazor

 

Yep.

 

  Look, I get it the Leafs are absolutely stacked, they dont need help on the power play

 

BUT

 

There are injuries, there are slumps, he gives them depth to where if Gardiner goes down or Marleau doesn't perform and he needs to be plugged into the power play he can do the job. I love guys like Muzzin who does nothing at an elite level but everything well. Plus being a big body who isn't afraid to throw it around, I wish the Wings had six just like him on the back end.

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I've done a fair amount of reading about Muzzin, he's an asset when paired with a true #1 like Doughty. However this year the fans have been booing him because of his giveaways, he hasn't been paired with Doughty this year.

 

I'm hoping he is an upgrade but as always remains to be seen. It's one thing to appear to be an excellent d-man on a defensively centric team, TO isn't. 

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19 hours ago, hobie said:

Potential new d pairings:

 

Gardiner/Rielly

Muzzin/Zaitsev

Dermott/Hainsey

 

I like that TO picked up Muzzin, it shows an all in mentality, it shows that Dubie thinks the team is ready. Let's hope he's right.

I think Muzzin will be paired with reilly and will play the role he did when he was paired with Doughty. They split the two of them up this year, Muzzin is plus 10 and Doughty is among the lowest in the plus/minus category.at minus 16 and is having a dreadful year. I think playing alongside Reilly will allow Reilly to roam freely.

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1 hour ago, hobie said:

I've done a fair amount of reading about Muzzin, he's an asset when paired with a true #1 like Doughty. However this year the fans have been booing him because of his giveaways, he hasn't been paired with Doughty this year.

 

I'm hoping he is an upgrade but as always remains to be seen. It's one thing to appear to be an excellent d-man on a defensively centric team, TO isn't. 

 

Fair point about his giveaways this year and also about "remaining to be seen".... one thing stats WON'T show is the fact that Muzzin will be going from a team with a certain style (LA) to one almost completely opposite, and it COULD take him a bit of time to make the adjustment.

Case in point...Ryan McDonagh going from the Rangers to the Lightning...similar situation, and last year, when McDonagh was traded, many felt he was a 'bust' because while he wasn't awful, he wasn't quite up to his usual excellent self on the ice likely due to such a drastic change in team philosophy.

This season, having a full training camp and using last season as a 'tune up', he most certainly is back to his old self and you don't hear TB fans calling him a bust anymore.

Maybe Muzzin has similar issues making the adjustment...maybe he makes them quicker than McDonagh did. LIke you said...remains to be seen.

One other thing:
In LA, due to the severe lack of scoring, it was entirely possible that he tried doing too much, and tried being Mr. Offense way too often, forgetting his defensive posture.

Ironically, I felt perhaps a guy like Jake Gardiner, more an offensive type defender, tried doing that with the Leafs PLUS be a complete shut down guy (again, doing too much), and thus leaving holes in both sides of his game.
Perhaps with Muzzin on the Leafs, both Toronto defenders and the new former LA addition can now compliment each other much better, and all can find a balance in their games.

Again, remains to be seen.

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Muzzin had 3 points tonite, 4 hits, a very bad Anaheim couldn't muster much when he was on the ice.

 

It's taken him 2 games to adapt, rather than always making the first pass to the d-partner he's now moving the puck up to the forwards.

 

I'm certain there's going to be rough patches but he sure looks like just what the doctor ordered for TO and it's d.

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8 hours ago, hobie said:

Muzzin had 3 points tonite, 4 hits, a very bad Anaheim couldn't muster much when he was on the ice.

 

It's taken him 2 games to adapt, rather than always making the first pass to the d-partner he's now moving the puck up to the forwards.

 

I'm certain there's going to be rough patches but he sure looks like just what the doctor ordered for TO and it's d.

 

No question Muzzin will need to adapt from Kings style play to Leafs style play, but I stand by the fact your boys got themselves a nice bump up on defense.
In fact, if his transition path is anything like Ryan McDonagh going from the Rangers to the Lightning, then you can expect Muzzin to be "helpful" this season...and awesome the next, as by then, he will have had plenty of time with his new teammates and their playstyle, AND a full training camp and exhibition with them under his belt.

 

On another note, regarding the big night he had against the Ducks, I sorta chuckled at that...wondering if some of his leftover LA Kings instincts took over and just saw absolute 'red' playing against the Ducks (Kings vs Ducks thing out West), and went off on them simply because they were the Ducks and he was a former King not so long ago! :bigteeth:

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