To believe the Leafs stood pat during Kyle Dubas’s first trade deadline voyage is to ignore the rookie GM’s shrewd work to address his contending club’s greatest need a month in advance of the pins-and-needles deadline. (lukefoxjukebox)
CHOOSE PLAN Dubas made his splash, and, yes, Muzzin curves his stick the same way as four of the other five Toronto defencemen tasked with pushing this group deeper in the playoffs than they’ve been 15 years, but Mike Babcock has his horses. The coach has access to the most even-strength goals in the league. He has 21 games to optimize his defence pairings. Time to make ’em run. “Certainly I think [Muzzin’s] skill set fits our group well,” John Tavares said.
Petan’s acquisition is a minor asset-management deal. Like Lindholm, he can play wing or centre, but as a restricted free agent this summer, he’ll remain under team control. Dubas saw more of the play-making Petan last season, when he put up 52 points in 52 games with the AHL Moose, and believes the mighty Toronto development program can accentuate his positives. “He’s a player that fits the way we want to play,” Dubas said. The Muzzin move sent ripples league-wide.