Blue-liner Muzzin finding buds on Buds
Recently acquired Maple Leaf is making friends off the ice and progress on it
TORONTO — Sometimes when you leave one employer for another, uproot your family and change countries, it can take some time to adjust to a new life.
As far as his play on the ice goes, new Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin has not had any of those problems.
And, if fitting in and getting to know his new teammates was an issue, then a six-game road trip — which wrapped up Tuesday night in St. Louis — came along just in time.
“This was great to get to know your teammates because you’re with them every day, all day, pretty much,” said Muzzin. “We were able to have a couple of days off here, and have some fun activities and get to know each other a little bit better. It’s important to get to know the guys off the ice as well as on the ice. Being on the road for 12 days is a good time to do that.”
Tuesday’s game marked Muzzin’s 10th with the Maple Leafs. They went 6-2-1 in the first nine after trading a first-round draft pick and two prospects to the Los Angeles Kings for the hulking defenceman who hits (quickly becoming a crowd favourite for that), skates well and clears the zone.
“Outside the rink, he’s so approachable,” Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen said of Muzzin. “He’s making an effort to be part of the group already, as quickly as possible. That’s something that’s got to be hard. I know I’ve been through it myself. You’ve got to imagine it’s a bit harder to go through mid-season when you have to move your family across the continent.
“And he’s been playing well, playing real hard for us — adding some offence, but his defence has been great as well.”
As the Leafs ventured through the Western Conference — familiar territory for Muzzin, who played 496 games over eight seasons with Los Angeles — opponents praised the acquisition.
“He’s a big guy, a Stanley Cup champ (2014), he eats a lot of minutes, plays all-situational hockey,” said Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet. “He’s just one of those guys that’s just a reliable guy. He anchors their defence, for sure. It was a great move by the Leafs.”
Colorado centre Nathan MacKinnon said he was glad to see Muzzin leave the conference.
“He’s such a tough guy to play against, the way he can skate and how physical he is,” said MacKinnon. “He’s had a great start. I’m keeping tabs a little bit. It’s cool to see him go to Toronto.”
Muzzin had a goal and three assists along with a plus-6 with the Leafs heading into Tuesday night. With rookie Igor Ozhiganov now a healthy scratch, Muzzin has made the blue line “way deeper,” coach Mike Babcock says.
“Every day, he’s going to wake up and be (six-foot-three) and he’s (won the Stanley Cup), and he’s going to know what winning is all about, and how to play,” Babcock said of Muzzin earlier on the trip. “Whether it goes good for him that day or bad for him, he’s a veteran player. He knows how to bounce back and play the next shift, the next game. He knows how to play in the big moments. He’s big-bodied, moves the puck, cuts out the cycle, blocks shots on the penalty kill. And I think we’re way deeper. You’re not as paranoid about who’s on the ice and when they’re out there.”
Leafs all-star John Tavares was Muzzin’s World Cup teammate in 2016, and played against him in junior.
“He’s been around — some great experience — but he’s got so much ahead. He’s still a young guy,” Tavares said of Muzzin, who turns 30 on Thursday. “Just a great influence with how he goes about his business on a daily basis. There’s really no change to his attitude or demeanour. He doesn’t let too much affect him.”
Muzzin’s ice time seems a bit low at 18:37 a game, eighth on the team and fifth among Leaf blueliners. His possession numbers — measuring shots for and against when he’s on the ice — rank seventh on the team at 52.56 per cent since his arrival.
“It’s been good,” Muzzin said of the transition. “We have a great group of guys here, great coaches. Everything has been smooth. Still learning some stuff on the ice, but it’s coming good. I think I’ve been good.
“Trying to nail down some system stuff — like certain reads, where they want me going and not going. Usually it’s second nature, but sometimes you have to think about it, but it’s been a good transition so far.”