Maple Leafs Defenseman Inching Closer To Return

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin returned to practice on Sunday. The 32-year-old has been out for the last two weeks due to a concussion, but it appears he is inching closer to returning.

The Maple Leafs will certainly be happy to have Muzzin back in the lineup - once he's officially ready to go, of course. It's been a bit of a down year offensively for him, but he is still viewed as an important part of the back end. In 35 games this season, he has one goal, 10 helpers, and a minus-2 rating. With the Leafs trying to climb themselves up in the Atlantic Division, having one of their veteran defenseman back will certainly help with that.

The Maple Leafs return to game action on Monday night when they play the Carolina Hurricanes. From there, they then play the Calgary Flames, so it isn't going to be a walk in the park. Thus, it would be great to see Muzzin return for at least one of these games. However, head coach Sheldon Keefe hasn't provided an update about that, so we will have to wait and see.

Once Muzzin returns, it will certainly give the Leafs more stability on defense, so they certainly should be feeling happy that he was able to participate in practice.