The sun is starting to set earlier as we near the last week of August. The birds are beginning to gather for their journey south and the fish are staging to run up the rivers. We must be getting close to pre season Maple Leafs hockey.

With less than a month until pre season you can hear the disgruntled Leafs fans discussing the Marner situation. It’s really putting a dark shadow on what was a quality off season by Toronto’s General Manager, Kyle Dubas.

Leafs Nation is ready for Mitch Marner to sign; and they aren’t alone. It’s in the organizations best interest for Marner and Dubas to come up with a number and term that works for both parties. If Marner misses any hockey before opening night he’s only hurting himself and the team. I dunno about you but I want to see an electric Mitch Marner from game one.

The rest of the pieces of the puzzle are put in place and we’re just waiting for one of the middle pieces to finish being sized up.

One player who’s been able to hide under the spotlight this offseason is Tyson Barrie. That is a huge addition for the Maple Leafs and if all goes well this season with the star defenseman I could see the Leafs making a bold move trading a quality forward at seasons end to open up some cap space for Barrie. Time will tell, but I sure am excited to see how he fares in a Leafs jersey.

We got a good taste of Jake Muzzin last season; but he has more to offer. Muzzin was getting used to the Leafs coaching staff and players, as well as their style of play; it was much different system in Toronto than it was in Los Angeles.

Jake has been training lots this off season as well as helping some of the younger Leafs settle in. Now that Muzzin had a taste of action in Toronto he’s looking for a big season from the team and himself. He’s quite fond of the Leafs addition of Tyson Barrie and feels it will be a good addition and one they needed. With 16 points in 30 regular season games with the Buds, Muzzin blasted in five goals and finished +11 playing alongside Nikita Zaitsev.

Muzzin is a quality shot blocker and likes to lay the body (real bone-crushers!). He too is the type of defenseman the Leafs needed and I can see this horse riding like a stallion all season long. I’m expecting 40+ points from Muzzin and a beastly season overall.

He’s only 30 years of age so he certainly has a few good years left in the tank. Looking forward to a full season of Muzzin as I feel he’s a reliable defender and one who brings some much needed grit with some offensive talent to go with; a beautiful mix bag.

When is the last time the Maple Leafs had three quality defenders comparable to Rielly, Muzzin and Barrie?

Thanks for reading, have a great day.

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