Toronto Maple Leafs: Jake Muzzin will be out for the rest of the series
By Jasmine Yen
After being stretchered off the ice because of a freak hit, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that Jake Muzzin will miss the remainder of the play-in round.
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 to even up the series to 1-1 but the biggest story that came out of last night’s game was Jake Muzzin‘s scary injury. Late in the third period, the Leafs were killing a penalty when Pierre-Luc Dubois cross-checked Muzzin from behind which led to his head snapping against Oliver Bjorkstrand‘s knee.
At first glance, the hit didn’t seem that bad but Muzzin was unable to get up and had to be stretchered off the ice.
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According to Leafs PR on Twitter, “Muzzin was discharged overnight but will not be available to the club for the duration of its series versus the Columbus Blue Jackets as a result of his injury. He will remain in quarantine within the hotel and look to rejoin his teammates upon recovery.”
Because Muzzin was taken to a nearby hospital outside of the NHL’s Toronto bubble, the league has decided that he must be put in quarantine before he is able to play again. The NHL’s protocol on what happens when a player leaves the bubble is decided on a case by case basis and depends on the level of risk the player was put in.
Losing Muzzin for the rest of the play-in series is a huge blow for the Maple Leafs. It’s no secret that the team struggles defensively and losing their second-best defenceman is a massive loss. The kind of player Muzzin is fit perfectly in a series against the Blue Jackets. He’s a rough player that delivers big hits which is something the Leafs don’t have a lot of. They lean on him heavily both at even strength and on the penalty kill.
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His leadership on this team both on the ice is invaluable and is one of the few players on the team who have won the Stanley Cup. The Leafs have Rasmus Sandin and Martin Marincin to fill in Muzzin’s spot but the lack of his presence will be a huge loss for the team.