Leafs' Muzzin out for rest of season, playoffs due to spinal injury

Jake Muzzin's season is officially over.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman won't play again in 2022-23 as he continues to recover from a cervical spine injury, the club announced Wednesday.

Muzzin, who turned 34 on Tuesday, has been out indefinitely since November. At the time, he was expected to be re-evaluated in February. The team will provide another update on his status during training camp in the fall.

The blue-liner was limited to four games this season, last suiting up for a loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 17. He left that contest following an awkward collision with opposing forward Clayton Keller.

Muzzin has been on long-term injured reserve, which allows the Leafs to exceed the salary cap by $5.625 million - his cap hit through 2023-24 - while he's out of the lineup.

The veteran has a history of head and neck ailments. He was stretchered off during the playoffs in 2020, and he played only 47 games last season.

Toronto acquired Muzzin in a 2019 trade with the Los Angeles Kings.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.