Toronto Maple Leafs: 5 bold predictions for 2019-20 season
By Simon Vacca
3. Muzzin can be used to bolster Ceci’s play
For three seasons, Nikita Zaitsev struggled to produce offensively in the Maple Leafs’ system. The right-shot defender had experienced relative success in his first stint with the club — during which he amassed four goals, 32 assists and 36 points — but failed to find his rhythm in 2017-18 and 2018-19, wherein he tallied 13 and 14 points, respectively.
The bright spot amidst Zaitsev’s tenure in Toronto came when the 27-year-old played alongside defender Jake Muzzin. Often complimenting his Russian counterpart’s game, Muzzin tended to place Zaitsev in positions to succeed, as the duo was tasked with the enormous responsibility of going head-to-head with the Bruins’ top lines in the 2019 postseason. Despite questionable expectations, the Muzzin-Zaitsev pairing looked favorable in a shutdown role, stopping the likes of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak from having the first-round that they did in 2018.
With Zaitsev’s July 1 exit — alongside Michael Carcone and Connor Brown — to the Ottawa Senators for Aaron Luchuk, Ben Harpur, Cody Ceci and a 2020 third-round selection, the Maple Leafs find themselves lifted from the burden of paying the defender $4.5 million into 2023-24. But all such moves come with cost, as the Buds shall be expected to allocate that exact sum of money toward the aforementioned Ceci for one season.
The club’s new defensive acquisition already finds himself out of standing with the Maple Leafs’ faithful, as the 25-year-old’s numbers are far from pretty. But if there is any blue-liner who can make the most out of a middle of the pact, right-shot defensive option, recent history has proven that it is Muzzin.
Babcock has no shortage of options at his disposal — he could also place Ceci in a more sheltered role on the team’s third pairing or staple him to Rielly’s side in an experimental fashion — so look for some serious tinkering to take place from the get-go.