With the Leafs’ acquisition of defenceman Jake Muzzin on Monday night, general manager Kyle Dubas has checkmarked a significant item on a list of upgrades that the team has been needing to make in order to be seriously considered as a Stanley Cup contender.
Not that the pre-All-Star break Leafs haven’t been entertaining to watch. Far from it. What fan, whether cheering from the stands Scotiabank Arena or in front of the television, hasn’t been entranced by the playmaking of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly et al?
Yet most pundits would agree that, ever since the team skated off the ice after Game 7 at Boston’s TD Garden last season, the Leafs had notable deficiencies that needed to be addressed.