LOS ANGELES (AP) The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night for a first-round pick and two prospects, bolstering their blue line with a Stanley Cup-winning veteran.
Los Angeles gets forward Carl Grundstrom and the rights to unsigned defenseman Sean Durzi in the deal, along with a first-round pick in 2019.
Muzzin is a steady veteran defenseman signed through next season at a salary cap hit of $4 million. The blue line has been Toronto’s biggest weakness this season, and Muzzin could be a top-four defenseman for the Leafs, perhaps fitting in their top pairing with Morgan Rielly.
The 29-year-old Muzzin has four goals and 17 assists in 50 games this season, struggling at times along with his teammates in the last-place Kings’ miserable year. His departure is the biggest sign yet that general manager Rob Blake is willing to reboot the roster of a club with just one playoff victory in the past four seasons since its second Stanley Cup title.
The Kings (20-26-4) sit last in the Western Conference with 44 points from 50 games.
”I think we’re in a position where we’re looking up every day at the standings,” Blake said. ”We’re not happy about where we are. We’re not comfortable with where we are, and now we have to make decisions for the best of the organization going forward.”
After going undrafted in 2009 and signing with Los Angeles as a free agent, Muzzin played his way into a steady NHL career with the Kings. He was a key contributor during their run to the 2014 title, scoring 12 points in 26 playoff games.
Muzzin struggled through the 2016-17 season with 28 points and a minus-21 rating, but he bounced back last season with a career-high 42 points.
Blake thinks Muzzin will handle the transition to the Eastern Conference easily after a career in the West.
”I think he’s an elite defenseman,” Blake said. ”He’s going to bring the physical aspect, but he has poise and patience to make plays. I think the adjustment will come naturally for him because he is a top defenseman.”
Grundstrom, 21, was a second-round pick in 2016 and has 29 points in 42 games with Toronto’s AHL affiliate this season. The 20-year-old Durzi, a second-round pick last year, has 28 points in 26 games this season in the Ontario Hockey League. Blake said the Kings like Durzi’s offensive abilities.
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