For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The resumption of the NHL regular season and/or the Stanley Cup Playoffs may be in question, but that is not going to prevent us at Hockeybuzz from providing daily content for our readers. We will continue to provide you with updates on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the season, but we will also report on news specific to the Toronto Maple Leafs and reflect on the club’s season and player performances through 70 games. We will continue with the report cards with a look at a couple of the Leafs defensemen: Morgan Rielly
It has been a year of trials and tribulations for the Leafs top defensemen, who garnered votes for the Norris Trophy last season after breaking out with a career-high 72 points (20 goals, 52 assists) last season. Rielly struggled adjusting to new defense partner Cody Ceci after veteran Ron Hainsey was not brought back and was one of the few players who may not have been happy to see Mike Babcock go, since the former head coach played him in excess of 25 minutes per night and in most matchup situations.
Rielly was not up to last year’s standards offensively (3 goals, 24 assists in 47 games), losing his power play quarterback spot to Tyson Barrie after Sheldon Keefe took over and going 35 straight games without a goal.
MORGAN RIELLY! What a snipe. 2-1. pic.twitter.com/bS1GoogwQ3
— Flintor (@TheFlintor) October 26, 2019
The 26-year-old has been slowed by injuries for most of the season, dealing with an unspecified minor lower body injury in the first half and missing 23 games after a shot fractured his foot on January 12, but returned to action just before the season was halted.
Grade - B-
Jake Muzzin
Muzzin has been a stabilizing veteran presence since being acquired from Los Angeles in January 2019 and is one of the few players on the Leafs who provides a bit of physicality. Like Rielly, the 30-year-old has been unlucky on the injury front, suffering a broken toe in late December and missing a month and the last two weeks of the season with a hand injury.
From shorthanded to even strength...Jake Muzzin style 💪#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/AogQ1KrqeG
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 22, 2019
Muzzin served mostly in a matchup role with Rielly out, playing on a makeshift shutdown pairing with Justin Holl, and has 23 points (6 goals, 17 assists) in 53 games. Recognizing that his leadership and experience were valuable commodities that could not be replaced, GM Kyle Dubas extended Muzzin for four years at $5.625 Million per season just after the trade deadline.
Grade - B+ *******
We’ve got each other.
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) March 15, 2020
The pod. On pod. Enjoy.#TheLeafsConvo @MikeInBuffalo @TheLeafsConvo https://t.co/UZLKpic92F