It’s been more than five years since the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings, in a trade on Jan. 28, 2019, that had fans ecstatic. The Leafs paid a fairly big price for Muzzin, but it has proven to be worth it. Toronto gave up two prospects with high upside and one first-round pick for a defenseman who would instantly be considered one of the most important players on the back end.
Muzzin Heads North to Toronto
After Kyle Dubas took over as the general manager of the team, he made a number of trades, but this one definitely included the most notable name. In the transaction, Toronto traded prospects, Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi along with the first-round pick in 2019 — which turned out to be Tobias Björnfot — to the Kings.
Despite the asking price, trading two prospects and a first-round draft pick and getting Muzzin was the addition that the team needed to make a playoff push. The Maple Leafs received a lot of praise after trading for a player with his reputation; at the time, the defense core needed someone who would battle hard to make things difficult on the opposition. The deal that was made had a significant impact on the team, as they became more willing to invest in additional players who possessed physical prowess and could complement their offensively gifted lineup. After adopting this strategy, the team added players like Zach Bogosian, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Jordie Benn. All three are tough defenders who play a physical style similar to that of Muzzin, but lack in offensive production.
Sadly, his time spent in the blue and white came with a lot of injuries, which has halted his career, potentially even ending it. Muzzin has endured a number of concussions and neck injuries that have forced him out for long stretches of time, including the most recent injury he suffered against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 17, 2022, when he and Clayton Keller collided, which forced him to leave the game. He was later diagnosed with a cervical spine injury and was out indefinitely. He announced his retirement in Oct. 2023.
Obviously, Muzzin’s time in Toronto was not just defined by his injuries. He also showed his strong work ethic as well as his leadership, which has been on display from the moment he put on the jersey. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to bring the Stanley Cup home with the Maple Leafs, but at least he can say that he played for his boyhood favourite team.
Related: Maple Leafs’ 3 Trade Targets to Replace Jake Muzzin
Without a doubt, Dubas should be pleased with his decision to acquire Muzzin from the Kings and would do it again in a heartbeat. However, the real question is whether the prospects he gave up in the trade will go on to have successful careers similar to that of Muzzin’s.
The Package Headed to Los Angeles
The Maple Leafs packaged forward Grundstrom, defenseman Durzi and a 2019 first-round pick (Björnfot) in the deal. That is a considerable amount of talent to part from even without knowing the player picked or the selection in the draft. Even though the cost was considered to be “large,” fans can see how these players have performed despite a smaller sample size now that almost four years have passed.
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Durzi was the key piece in his trade; a young right-handed defenseman who had a ton of upside, which was exactly what the Kings wanted. He rapidly became a mainstay on the blue line after a great breakout season in 2021-22, where he collected 27 points in 64 games. In that same season, he moved up the depth chart due to injuries, and when the Kings made the 2022 Playoffs, he played a vital part in their first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. He had three points in seven games, averaging 21:36 time on ice and 23 shifts per game throughout the seven games. He was tasked with a tough challenge on some of those shifts, playing them against the best player in the NHL in Connor McDavid.
Durzi carried that momentum over to the 2022-23 NHL season. He recorded 38 points in 72 games while averaging 19:47 of ice time per game. The Kings traded him in June 2023 to the then-Coyotes, and he is part of the future of Utah’s defense corps. They confirmed that with the 4-year, $24-million contract they signed him to over the 2024 offseason.
Grundstrom is a 26–year-old forward who was with the Kings up until the 2024 offseason when they traded him to the San Jose Sharks. He has played in a total of 236 games in the NHL and has scored 67 points — 40 goals and 27 assists. He is a player who works hard every shift, even though his point production hasn’t been there throughout his time with the team.
Although his career has been short thus far, Björnfot’s future is less bright than it once was. The 23-year-old was in the last year of his entry-level contract (ELC) and signed a two-year deal with the Kings during the 2023 offseason. Ultimately, he didn’t see the end of that contract as he has twice been claimed off waivers, first by the Vegas Golden Knights and later by the Florida Panthers in March 2024. He played in parts of five seasons with the Kings, appearing in 117 NHL games and collecting 15 points.
Related: Kings or Maple Leafs – Who Won the Muzzin Trade?
Overall, this deal benefited both teams because the Maple Leafs needed a defenseman who was tough to play against and the Kings were in the midst of a rebuild. The needs that both teams were attempting to fill were met in this transaction, but only time will tell who “won” this deal based on how the pieces the Kings got back in the subsequent trades play out. Muzzin’s influence on the Leafs was immeasurable; his presence helped the team’s back end become a threat to play against, which was exactly what the Maple Leafs were hoping for.
