Jake Muzzin’s Revisiting Maple Leaf Trade – Hockey Writer – Maple Leaf History
It has been more than six years since the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings in the January 28, 2019 deal. Leafs paid a lot for Muzzin, but it turned out to be worth it. Toronto gave up two prospects and offered a first-round draft pick for the defense, who was immediately considered one of the most important players in the back end.
Muzzin heads north to Toronto
After Kyle Dubas took over as general manager of the team, he made many deals, but that definitely included the most famous names. In the deal, Toronto will have prospects, with Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi and the 2019 first-round draft pick deal, which turned out to be Tobias Björnfot to the Kings.
Despite the asking price, trading two prospects and first-round draft picks and getting Muzan is a supplement to the team’s need to play the playoffs. The Maple Leafs received a lot of praise after changing one player for their reputation. At the time, the defensive core needed someone who worked hard to make the opposition difficult. The deals reached have a significant impact on the team as they become more willing to invest in other players with physical abilities and can Supplement their offensive talented lineup. After adopting this strategy, the team added players such as Zach Bogosian, Ilya Lyubushkin and Jordie Benn. These three are tough defenders, with similar physical styles to Muzin but lacking offensive output.
Sadly, his time spent on blue and white has taken a lot of damage, which has stopped his career and may even end the career. Muzzin suffered a number of concussions and neck injuries, forcing him to go out for a long time, including his recent injuries He suffers On October 17, 2022, he collided with Clayton Keller, forcing him to leave the game. Later, he was diagnosed with cervical spine injury and appeared indefinitely. He announced his retirement in October 2023.
Apparently, Muzzin’s time in Toronto was not only due to the definition of injury. He also demonstrated his strong work ethics and his leadership, which has been on display since the moment he put on his jersey. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring the Stanley Cup home, but at least he could say he played for his favorite team from childhood.
Related: Maple Leafs’ 3 trade targets to replace Jake Muzzin
There is no doubt that Dubas should be satisfied with his decision to get the gun from the king and do it again with a heartbeat. But the real question is whether the prospect of his abandonment in the deal will continue to have a successful career with Muzan.
Package to Los Angeles
Maple Leaf Packs Forward Grundstrom, Defender Durzi and 2019 first-round draft pick (Björnfot). Even if you don’t know the player is selected or Choice in the draft. Even if the cost is considered “big”, fans can still see the performance of these players, and despite the small sample size, it has been nearly four years since then.
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Durzi is a key work in his industry. A young right-handed defender with a lot of room for upwards, which is exactly what the Kings want. After a brilliant breakout season in 2021-22, he quickly became the midstream platform of the Blue Line, where he scored 27 points in 64 games. He improved his depth table with injuries the same season, and when the Kings entered the 2022 playoffs, he played a crucial role in the first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. He scored 3 points in seven games, averaging 21:36 per game, 23 per game over the entire seven games. His mission is to face tough challenges on some of these shifts against Connor McDavid’s NHL best player.
Durzi brought that momentum to the 2022-23 NHL season. He recorded 38 points in 72 games, while an average of 19:47 ice time per game. The King traded him to the then ready-made in June 2023, and he was part of the future of the Utah Defense Forces. They confirmed that they signed him in a four-year, $24 million contract in the 2024 offseason.
Grundstrom is 27–The one-year-old forward, who stayed with the Kings until the off-season in 2024, traded him to the San Jose Sharks. He has played in a total of 292 games in the NHL and Score 76 points – 43 goals and 33 assists. He is a player with every change, even if his perspectives are produced in the entire team’s course.
Although his career has been short so far, Björnfot’s future is less brighter than ever. The 24-year-old is in the final year of an entry-level contract (ELC) and has signed a two-year contract with the Kings in the offseason in 2023. Eventually, he didn’t see the end of the contract as he was exempted twice, first by the Vegas Golden Knights and later by the Florida Panthers in March 2024.
Related: King or Maple Leaf – Who won the Muzan Trade?
Overall, the deal benefits both teams as the Maple Leafs need a defensive player that is hard to compete with, and the Kings are in the process of rebuilding. In this deal, the needs both teams were trying to fill were met, but only time would show who won the deal based on how the Kings recovered in the subsequent deal. Muzan’s influence on leaves is immeasurable. His appearance helped the team’s back-end become a threat to confrontation, which is exactly what Maple Leaf hopes for.
