Injured defenseman Jake Muzzin was among several injured Leafs on the ice ahead of Leafs' practice on Tuesday and the 33-year-old did not look himself at all. After years of playing a very physical brand of hockey, is Muzzin's body starting to fail him?
After suffering a pair of concussions this season, Muzzin was finally able to return to action recently, but played in just 4 games before winding up on the shelf once again. Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe had stated that Muzzin's injury is unrelated to his concussions, but did not specify what Muzzin's ailment was.
There have been rumours now for a few seasons that one of Muzzin's hips has been getting progressively worse over time. Is the discomfort finally reaching a point where he may have to undergo surgery in order to resume his NHL career? More importantly, will he ever resume his NHL career? If it's a total hip replacement that Muzzin requires, that could spell the end for the Woodstock, ON native.
That's obviously a worst-case scenario. The hope is that Muzzin just requires some time and some additional rest. He's been an important part of this Leafs team over the past few seasons and is one of the team's locker room leaders. Make no mistake, losing Jake Muzzin would be a huge blow to the Leafs' blueline.
