Jake Muzzin being placed on long-term injured reserve could end up having a significant impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their trade deadline plans.
Since Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is willing to spend to the cap, Toronto moving Muzzin’s $5.625 million to LTIR has resulted in plenty of speculation as we inch closer to the March 21 NHL trade deadline.
Another Canadian team involved in trade rumours is Vancouver, and fans on both sides of the country have wondered if a trade between the Leafs and Canucks is realistic, especially with J.T. Miller’s name being floated out there.
Most of Vancouver's roster is locked up for next season and GM Patrik Allvin acknowledged there’s no rush to make a decision on whether or not to move Miller, who has one remaining year on his team-friendly contract ($5.25 million AAV) before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
“I've been impressed with the way he plays, the way he cares, and I think he's been probably, since I've been here, the most consistent player,” the Canucks GM told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre earlier this week. “I think that's probably something we're planning as a staff, to sit down together this summer and see which guys are going into the last year of their deals. We want to see where they are, their mindset and what they want to do and if there is a fit here.”
That hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning, though, with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman saying during the Toronto-Columbus broadcast earlier this week he’s “on the J.T. Miller train” if Leafs GM Kyle Dubas decided to use his LTIR space to make things interesting.
The Athletic's Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal said Wednesday, “Toronto called Vancouver yesterday to see what it would take to get J.T. Miller,” before adding he believes the Leafs also checked in on Luke Schenn, who was taken by Toronto in the first round of the 2008 draft.