Trade reaction: Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles

January 29, 2019 Off By William Fitzpatrick

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas wanted to get a head start on the competition when it comes to improving his hockey team, and he did just that Monday night. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Carl Grundstrom, the rights to unsigned defenseman Sean Durzi, and the team’s first round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

.@SportChek Player Alert: The @MapleLeafs have acquired defenceman Jake Muzzin from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Carl Grundstrom, the rights to Sean Durzi and Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/3DYt3w0dc1

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 29, 2019

The Leafs’ defense had been its position in need of improvement this season, and Muzzin should provide a steady two-way game to the team’s back end. The 29-year-old from Woodstock, ONT has 21 points in 50 games this season while playing for the 30th place Los Angeles Kings.

What this means for Toronto:

Kyle Dubas isn’t afraid to act quickly, something his predecessor, Lou Lamoriello, is also known for. The 33-year-old general manager believes his team has a chance to make a deep playoff run this season and decided to add to a position of weakness for his club.

This could also signal the end of defenseman Jake Gardiner’s time in Toronto, as his contract is set to expire this summer. The Maple Leafs have notable restricted free agents in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to sign to extensions, and have already spent an approximate 60 million dollars in cap space on players under contract for next season. With Muzzin’s contract running through next season, there might not be a need to extend Gardiner’s contract, who should expect a raise from his 4.05 million dollar AAV.

What this means for Los Angeles:

The Los Angeles Kings are going full-rebuild mode after trading one of the team’s top defenders and sitting near the bottom of the league standings. GM Rob Blake needs to acquire as many assets as he can to make his team younger and faster after starting the season with one of the oldest rosters in the league. Expect Blake to continue to sell off veterans and clear out cap space as the Kings hope the lottery balls bounce their way in the Jack Hughes sweepstakes.