Awful update released on Jake Muzzin

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without the services of veteran defensemen Jake Muzzin since mid-October when he suffered a neck injury; the full extent of the setback was revealed to be a cervical spine injury.

"It's a really tough one for me to answer because we haven't dealt with this type of injury all too often in my experience, with it being a cervical spine injury," Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said shortly after the injury was announced. "He's had two notable incidents on the ice, against Columbus in 2020 at the end of Game 2 in that [Stanley Cup Qualifier] series, and this one here against Arizona. It's not something you really want to mess around with, so unless he's 100 percent sure that this recovery time is going to allow that to settle and not be an issue, we have to do what's right for his long-term health."

"He's a father of two young children, a husband. We have to make sure we're doing right by him. As important as he is as a player, his health is paramount."

And according to the latest report, Muzzin's chances of returning to play for the Leafs aren't good. While speaking on TSN Overdrive, Chris Johnston delivered the following news:

"My understanding is he has a follow-up appointment in California with the doctors he saw there," he said. "It is at some point early next week, and then there will be a clear direction. It would be a surprise if he was able to come back and make an attempt at returning. He has stayed very close with the team and has been with them on the road, but I don’t believe it will be in the cards that he will be back healthy and playing again."

Muzzin is in the midst of a four year contract that carries an $5.625 million cap hit. In the four games that he's played in this year, he's registered one assist.