The Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line has never recovered from the loss of Jake Muzzin.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were, at the time, able to overcome their lack of a legitimate number-one defenseman by having three low-end star players.
T.J Brodie, Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin gave the Leafs a pretty great blue-line.
Unfortunately, while Rielly is having a good season, Brodie has declined severely (he’ll turn 34 before the Stanley Cup is awarded this year) and Muzzin is now retired due to injury.
And while John Klingberg’s unplayability and injuries to Jake McCabe and Timothy Liljegren have been the talk of the town, the top of the Leafs blue-line depth-chart is what is hurting them the most.