UPDATE - Muzzin placed on LTIR

[Stephen]

translation: "take it easy, kucherov, see you in the playoffs"

Muzzin just checked in at Robidas Island and is making himself comfortable.

 

[Stephen]

At the beginning of the season I feared and suggested that if the Leafs lost one of Rielly or Muzzin for any extended length of time this year the Leafs would struggle defensively with a top 3 of Rielly/Muzzin & Broadie and Holl as their remaining top 3.

We are about to find out how this will impact the team with Muzz on LTIR.

I thought Muzzin might be a declining asset worth monitoring and possibly moving on from but didn’t realize we might be looking at such a decline and deterioration in health. Factor in wear and tear and concussions is this guy in even worse shape than Lupul when we shelved him?

 

[Griffin76]

Hope Muzz is ok for playoffs.

Miller is a long shot.

I'd pass on Chariots, couldn't stand it when he turned out to be Holl 2 and everyone started chanting Chariots of Fire

 

[tmlms13]

IMO the hard cap is pathetic.

Bring in a luxury cap and let some semblance of a free market reign.

If teams want to burn $30M more and help fund smaller markets, why not let them?

Hard cap can be okay but there needs to be some kind of sliding scale for years or games played within a contract AND the Cap naturally going up, so two directions lowering the % hit. Make that player's sliding scale so high teams can barely ice a team in year 1 if they try to "compensate" up front

Like the Tavares started as 11m on a 82.5 cap..... contract should go down lets say 1.0m in hit every year...... Year 7 should be a 4.0m hit on a 90m cap.

The fact that I'm spending so much time thinking about this is just pathetic to be honest. This can't be what all the Owners, PA and League execs thought of 17 years ago.

 

[LeafGrief]

Brutal to lose Muzzin like this. No matter how much he's struggled this year, I'd rather be going into the playoffs having Jake Muzzin than not. He's a huge piece for our team and losing him is a tremendous blow.

I don't have much hope for him to come back this year. His contract is guaranteed but his actual health is not, and concussions are not to be messed with. This is truly terrible.

 

[seanlinden]

That’s not the way this organization treats their players though. I don’t disagree with your sentiment but no players would want to sign here believing the NTC had any value to them if the team didn’t honour it.

So if he doesn’t get claimed they send him to the Marlies? Not a good look for a team that prides itself on treating its players well. Who’s next Tavares ?

Ultimately, in a "professional" environment, it will never actually come to that. Taking hardline stances will only result in a bad outcome for both sides.

They'd simply go to Muzzin, and explain the situation that they've gotta move him, and work together to find a mutually happy home.

There's a reason it's a full NTC, and not a NMC. I'd go as far as saying that this exact possibility was contemplated by both sides when the deal was signed -- knowing that not having an NMC prevents him from using the "buy me out or play me" approach.

Ultimately the full NTC means that he can have a ton of choice over his destination.

 

[Ports]

Ultimately, in a "professional" environment, it will never actually come to that. Taking hardline stances will only result in a bad outcome for both sides.

They'd simply go to Muzzin, and explain the situation that they've gotta move him, and work together to find a mutually happy home.

There's a reason it's a full NTC, and not a NMC. I'd go as far as saying that this exact possibility was contemplated by both sides when the deal was signed -- knowing that not having an NMC prevents him from using the "buy me out or play me" approach.

Ultimately the full NTC means that he can have a ton of choice over his destination.

I’m not optimistic that it will happen but I guess we’ll see. Not sure they will want to take the chance to lose him for nothing though which they would if they put him on waivers.

 

[Menzinger]

That’s not the way this organization treats their players though. I don’t disagree with your sentiment but no players would want to sign here believing the NTC had any value to them if the team didn’t honour it.

Yep.

I think if the team wants to try and move on from Muzzin, they'd just have a frank discussion with him and try to accommodate his desired location. Dubas'/front office seems like they have good interpersonal relationships with the players, which could come in handy during a situation like that

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[seanlinden]

I’m not optimistic that it will happen but I guess we’ll see. Not sure they will want to take the chance to lose him for nothing though which they would if they put him on waivers.

If the Leafs can go out and get a ~$4-5m right shot defenceman (such as Connor Murphy, Damon Severson, Adam Larsson), they'll likely be more than happy to lose him for nothing given what freeing up his $5.6m in cap space would do.

Ultimately, it won't come down to that though because he'll likely want to avoid going to a bottom-feeder as much as the Leafs would like maybe consider getting something for him.

They'd probably say to him "tell us where you want to go", and as long as that team is willing to give up something (likely minimal) for him, he'll be gone.

 

[Carltons Cup]

Muzzin just checked in at Robidas Island and is making himself comfortable.

Do you whether his buddy Holl is joining him on vacation?

 

[Griffin76]

Do you whether his buddy Holl is joining him on vacation?

Buddy Holly is taking a plane there. We all know how that will end.

 

[Stephen]

Do you whether his buddy Holl is joining him on vacation?

He could use a Holl-iday as well.

 

[Ports]

Yep.

I think if the team wants to try and move on from Muzzin, they'd just have a frank discussion with him and try to accommodate his desired location. Dubas'/front office seems like they have good interpersonal relationships with the players, which could come in handy during a situation like that

That would help but most players don’t want to be moved. That’s why they have a NTC. It’s very disruptive especially if they have a family and are from here. Remember the Muskoka five?

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Dear Gary Bettman
Is this what you envisioned with your cap? Fans who are happy when players get injured so they can put them on LTIR? Superstars (kutcherov) who are healthy enough to play but don't because a team wants extra cap space. GMs, Media, Fans who talk about a player's cap hit as much as what he does on the ice.
Signed
Everyone except for about 5 owners


It's pathetic what this entire league has become.

Yup. The cap has wrecked enjoyment of the game for me.

 

[Doublerum1975]

I wonder if he might actually be done two concussions that far apart pretty scary

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Yup. The cap has wrecked enjoyment of the game for me.

Tampa last year
Vegas and Leafs this year
Da whole thing is a pure joke

 

[Doublerum1975]

Tampa last year
Vegas and Leafs this year
Da whole thing is a pure joke

And the leafs?

 

[tmlms13]

Yup. The cap has wrecked enjoyment of the game for me.

Yep. I know im harping on Kutcherov as the example but think about all the 5-14 year old fans who aren't old enough to really understand the cap but old enough to appreciate how good of a player Kutcherov is and want to watch a superstar but TB says no we're better off with him in the press box so we don't have to trade away our 3rd line

I'd love to have a poll.

• Auston Matthews never plays another regular season game for the Leafs but they get to the SC Finals in each year.
  
• Auston Matthews plays every regular season game for the rest of his contract but they never get to the SC Finals

That's how stupid the cap is.

 

[GobigorGohome]

Braden McNab LVK,would be a nice pickup for the playoffs.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Brutal to lose Muzzin like this. No matter how much he's struggled this year, I'd rather be going into the playoffs having Jake Muzzin than not. He's a huge piece for our team and losing him is a tremendous blow.

I don't have much hope for him to come back this year. His contract is guaranteed but his actual health is not, and concussions are not to be messed with. This is truly terrible.

It could be a blessing in disguise. He's been hurt the last couple of playoff series. This will give him plenty of time to rest and recuperate and hopefully be 100% in the first round.

More importantly, it will also allow us to strengthen the roster with the additional cap space allotted with him on LTIR.

 

[nuck]

I thought Muzzin might be a declining asset worth monitoring and possibly moving on from but didn’t realize we might be looking at such a decline and deterioration in health. Factor in wear and tear and concussions is this guy in even worse shape than Lupul when we shelved him?

Im not sure if he is used up or just banged up. Do you remember how bad Rielly was for most of 19-20 following his monster year. They never told us what was wrong and he moved like he had been in a car accident. I wouldn't write Muzz off because he was playing a pretty high level last year, unless its another medical issue even unrelated to concussions and he is preparing to Weber us. Too early to do that I think.

 

[Stephen]

Im not sure if he is used up or just banged up. Do you remember how bad Rielly was for most of 19-20 following his monster year. They never told us what was wrong and he moved like he had been in a car accident. I wouldn't write Muzz off because he was playing a pretty high level last year, unless its another medical issue even unrelated to concussions and he is preparing to Weber us. Too early to do that I think.

For me, the number one priority is for the Leafs to get top performance out of a $5.6 million cap allocation. Muzzin is really banged up and long in the tooth, solidly in his 30s. I'd rather move on prematurely from this player and roll the dice on a new acquisition than find out he's kaput. But at the same time if he's going to be a very LTIR case, it's the same thing as trading him.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Rest up Muzzy we need you in the post season

 

[HogTown06]

Muzzin has been kind of brutal this year anyway, maybe rest is what we need. If they can go out there now and get a real goalie this team could be a real contender.