As teams around the league tinker and finalize their rosters on Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs did the same but didn’t limit their updates to just the players.
General manager Brad Treliving announced a slew of staff updates including former Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin moving into a player development role.
Muzzin, 35, played 12 years in the NHL, the last five of which he spent in Toronto after being sent over in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. He spent the 2023-24 season as a member of the team’s development staff.
The Woodstock, Ont. native played in 683 regular season games throughout his career, logging 294 points (69 goals, 225 assists). He also collected some hardware throughout his playing days, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014 with the Kings and capturing two gold medals with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Along with Muzzin, the Maple Leafs hired Jason Taylor as a pro scout, Jerrod Smith as an amateur scout and Scott Carter as a part-time pro and amateur scout.
Taylor was an amateur scout for the Calgary Flames for three years (2021-24) before joining Toronto ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Prior to his stint in Calgary, he also spent 18 years as a Western Division Representative at Newport Sports Management Inc., primarily covering the Western Hockey League. Taylor was also briefly an assistant general manager and coach (2000-01) for the Utah Grizzlies (IHL), a former affiliate of the Dallas Stars.
Smith spent 12 years with the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires, recently serving as head coach during the 2023-24 season. Before taking on the role of bench boss, he held the titles of director of player personnel and associate coach.
Meanwhile, Carter returns to the Leafs after previously serving as an amateur scout for six years (2009-15). After leaving Toronto, he spent six seasons as general manager of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
The Maple Leafs will open their regular season on Wednesday with a road tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.