The veteran defenseman says going back to having fun helped him flourish in the playoffs and he intends to bring that approach this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin is coming off a regular season he’d like to forget.
Suffering from a pair of concussions that forced him to miss extended stretches of the season will do that to you. But by his own admission, he didn’t play up to the same standard he had previously set in his NHL career.
"I was putting a lot of pressure on myself last year to be the perfect player and that's impossible,” Muzzin said in a candid sessions with reporters on Saturday morning. “Get back to having fun and enjoying the group and enjoying the team we have here and my play usually flourishes from that."
Limited to just 47 games last season, Muzzin’s -6 rating stood out on a team that generally outscored their opponents and was the worst among any Leafs defensemen.
With the Maple Leafs having lofty expectations, Muzzin felt like he lost himself.
"I felt like we had a really good group and I wanted to be the best version of myself and sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself," he said. "It's not easy. It's a tough league. It's a lot of games and sometimes you can get a little lost and a little confused about what really makes you a good player."
Muzzin averaged over 22 minutes during the Maple Leafs’ first-round series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in May. He scored a pair of goals and added an assist in seven games, but he was effective in all aspects of his game. Muzzin was limited to just four giveaways, delivered 25 hits and blocked 16 shots.
It’s important to note that Muzzin was paired with TJ Brodie in the playoffs and he’ll start this season with the same player he struggled with last season, Justin Holl.
“I think both guys are in a different place and we’re well aware at times that didn’t go great for us,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of the duo on Friday. “It’s as much about those guys having a reset and going back at it but also just the way our other pairs have set up.”
Brodie has been skating on the right side of Morgan Rielly at camp, while Rasmus Sandin, who joined training camp a week ago after signing a new two-year deal, has started skating on the right side of Mark Giordano
These are the projected defensive pairs for opening night when the Maple Leafs travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens on Oct. 12.
And while Muzzin’s self-awareness about how things went for him last season shows tremendous growth, his health and durability remain a concern.
Missing the first week of training camp with back issues, Muzzin finally made his pre-season debut on Saturday in a 5-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
It’s hard to extract a lot of value from that game, apart from the fact that it was important to show he can get into game action.
But with Toronto’s depth challenged on defense with Timothy Liljegren (hernia), Jordie Benn (groin), Carl Dahlstrom (shoulder) all unavailable in the near term and Victor Mete sidelined day-to-day with a leg bruise, Muzzin’s effective participation couldn’t be more important for the Maple Leafs.
"He had a lot going on in his head last year,” Keefe said of Muzzin. "He came back at playoff time with a much clearer head, really focused on just controlling what he can control and doing his thing on the ice and we saw the results. It appears to me Muzz is in a really good head space that way."