Jake Muzzin

A solid player who has considerably more value to the Leafs than fantasy owners, Muzzin posted 27 points in 53 games in his second season with Toronto last year. He finished with a plus-21 rating for the second time in the past three campaigns in addition to chipping in 101 hits and 94 blocks. The issue for Muzzin is that he saw just 30 seconds worth of power-play time per game and thus his point totals figure to fluctuate from season to season. There is some deep league value here if your pool values secondary statistics, but those looking for just offensive production can likely do better than Muzzin on draft day.

Muzzin missed large chunks of the abbreviated 2019-20 regular season due to foot and hand injuries, but he was solid when in the lineup, notching six goals, 17 assists and 99 shots on goal in 53 games. The former King was also a consistent contributor in the peripheral categories, totaling 40 PIM, 109 hits and 110 blocks while skating on the Maple Leafs' second pairing. The 31-year-old had only missed a total of 10 games in the four campaigns leading up to last season, so there's no reason to label him as an injury concern heading into 2020-21. Muzzin won't see any time with the man advantage during the upcoming campaign, but he'll still chip in at a 35-point pace while firing around two shots on net per contest and posting healthy totals in the peripheral categories, making him a solid addition as a fifth or sixth defenseman in the later rounds of this year's fantasy drafts.

Muzzin is the Leafs' top defensive defender, and his advanced stats are delicious. He helps elevate the play of any puck-moving defender he skates beside and also improves their shot suppression numbers, too. Plus, he can score. Muzzin has three 40-plus point seasons in his last five and he came close to a fourth last season between the Kings and Leafs. In fact, he did score at a 40-point pace once he donned the blue and white. Muzzin won't be a power-play guy with the addition of Tyson Barrie, but he can help round out the bottom of your deep fantasy roster.

Playing on the Kings' top line ensures that Muzzin is going to get his share of the assists, and he produced his third 30-plus assist season in his last four campaigns last year, setting up 34 Los Angeles goals. While Drew Doughty deservedly gets most of the attention, Muzzin isn't a bad option to have on your squad as a late-round contributor. There are plenty of assists to go around in Los Angeles, and the 29-year-old Muzzin should also benefit from the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk.

After consecutive 40-point campaigns and a career year in 2015-16, Muzzin underwhelmed last year with just 28 points. His minus-21 rating was a particular eyesore, and he also posted just 2.24 shots per game, which was his lowest mark since 2012-13. However, Muzzin still posted an elite 55.5 Corsi For percentage, and despite the dip in shot volume, he finished with 184 shots, 46 PIM, 162 hits and 122 blocked shots. Those peripheral numbers are solid, and it will only take a modest offensive rebound and a bounce back in the plus-minus column to skyrocket Muzzin back up the defensemen ranks.

Muzzin hit 40 points for the second consecutive season last year, disappointing fantasy owners who bought into him looking for a star turn, but still delivering a well-rounded stat line that’s welcome on any roster. That’s thanks in particular to the career-high 64 PIM he posted after garnering only 22 the year before. Muzzin and top-pairing mate Drew Doughty both balance offensive capability with defensive responsibility, and the result has been plenty of scoring to go around, but there’s a feeling here that Muzzin’s due for more, especially after he saw his shots on goal spike to a career-high 203 last year and was rewarded with eight goals. Look for the 27-year-old to get his goal total back into double digits and challenge 50 points.

The 26-year-old Muzzin took a great leap forward in 2014-15. Helping to fill the void left by Slava Voynov after his October arrest, Muzzin doubled his career point total, registering marks of 10 goals and 31 assists in 76 games. He also saw a stark jump in ice time (22:42 average TOI), good for second on the team while playing alongside Norris Trophy runner-up Drew Doughty. Muzzin doesn’t commit many penalties after accruing just 22 PIM last season, but he made up for that deficiency by supplying strong numbers on the power play (four goals and 10 assists). He’ll once again play on the top defensive pairing in 2015-16 and should shoot up draft boards.

Muzzin had a pretty quiet regular season (five goals and 19 assists in 76 games) after flashing some fantasy upside in a limited role back in 2012-2013, but seriously stepped up his game in the playoffs following an injury to Robyn Regehr. He was second on the Kings in ice time behind just Drew Doughty during their Stanley Cup run when tasked with soaking up some minutes. But the emergence of Slava Voynov and Alec Martinez cut into his power play time, so don't expect much point production given his current role.

Muzzin got a look with the Kings last year thanks to some injuries and blossomed with 16 points in 45 games under head coach Daryl Sutter. His play seemed to get better as the season wore on and he started to see consistent minutes on the power play by season's end. He could be a sneaky source of points if his development continues and his power play time sticks.

Muzzin spent the season in the AHL, tallying 31 points in 71 games for Manchester. He's likely ticketed for another season in the AHL after getting bypassed by some other blueliners on the organizational depth chart.

Muzzin earned himself a spot on the Kings with a strong training camp but was sent to the AHL after just 11 games. He's got a hard shot and posted respectable numbers (three goals, 15 assists in 45 games) at the AHL and figures to compete for a roster spot again this training camp.