from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

Kyle Dubas laid out his plan publicly (defencemen term over rentals), and then followed through, connecting with a hard first swing, with four weeks for another crack before the trading deadline.

We won’t know for certain if the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie general manager’s first major trade since assuming the helm from Lou Lamoriello is a home run until the ball falls, but one couldn’t blame the 33-year-old if he did a bat flip after flossing in his executive suite Monday night.

By swiping Jake Muzzin — arguably 2018-19’s most consistent player from its worst Western Conference team — Dubas not only obtained the best player in the deal but the type of difference-maker that should narrow the gap between the Maple Leafs and their blueprint, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Muzzin is accustomed to logging heavy shutdown minutes against the top lines in hockey, he can kill penalties (an element coach Mike Babcock has been thirsting for), he’s comfortable chipping in on the power-play (and has three 40-point seasons on his resume), and he’s a zone-exit monster.

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