Maple Leafs’ Muzzin Out Until February, Brodie Placed on IR with Oblique Injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueline can’t seem to catch a break as they’ll be without a pair of crucial defencemen moving forward.
On Monday, the team announced that Jake Muzzin will be sidelined for several months due to a cervical spine injury, with the 33-year-old scheduled to be re-evaluated in February. He suffered the injury in a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 17 and currently resides on LTIR.
The Maple Leafs will also be without fellow defenceman T.J. Brodie, who was a late scratch prior to Saturday’s contest versus the Vancouver Canucks. An oblique injury will force him to miss the next few weeks, the team announced.
In corresponding moves, defenceman Mac Hollowell and forward Pontus Holmberg have been recalled from the Toronto Marlies – the organization’s AHL affiliate.
Muzzin’s diagnosis shouldn’t be surprising to Maple Leafs fans as there’s been much speculation over whether or not he’d return this season. While a late-season return remains unclear, the team is more focused on his long-term health after last month’s visit with a neck specialist proved extremely concerning.
And as someone who suffered two separate concussions in 2021-22, playing it safe is undoubtedly the correct approach. It’s also worth noting that numerous injuries have limited him to 53 games or fewer since 2019-20.
Brodie, meanwhile, is in a similar position that captain John Tavares encountered during the pre-season opener when an oblique injury halted the start of his campaign. He returned for the regular-season opener but missed several weeks in the process.
Toronto is hopeful that the 32-year-old blueliner can return by the end of November – if not before then. This season, the left-hander has posted two assists, 20 blocks, 17 hits, 16 shots on goal and eight takeaways over 15 games.
In the meantime, veteran Jordie Benn will likely continue serving as Brodie’s injury replacement, which worked out quite well Saturday night, as the 35-year-old scored the game-winner over Vancouver in his first game of the season.
Benn practiced alongside teammate Morgan Rielly on Monday and could be paired next to the club’s top defenceman during Tuesday’s showdown versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. The defensive pairings will likely be fluid throughout the game however.
The Maple Leafs did receive some encouraging injury news regarding their goaltending situation during Monday’s practice. Ilya Samsonov, who has been out since Nov. 5 due to a knee injury, was on the ice with his teammates, taking the next step in his recovery process.
Adding to the positive news, head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that Matt Murray will return against the Penguins, making his first start since suffering an abductor injury in the season opener versus Montreal. He allowed four goals on 23 shots against in a 4-3 loss.
Despite a slow start, the Maple Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division at 8-5-3 (19 points), trailing the first-place Boston Bruins by nine points in the standings.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Quintin Soloviev. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.