KOSHAN: Leafs’ incumbent vets see the value in having more company

Muzzin, nearly two years into his tenure with the Leafs after being acquired from the Kings on Jan. 28, 2019, glances around the Toronto room and sees newcomers who once were Western Conference foes, specifically defenceman TJ Brodie, who Muzzin called “a huge addition,” and forward Joe Thornton. Muzzin and Wayne Simmonds briefly were Kings teammates some 10 years ago.

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“You can never have too much experience on a team, mix that with a little bit of youth and excitement and I think it’s a good recipe,” said Muzzin, who is starting a four-year contract extension. “The more guys who have been around, they provide information or a little bit of experience to younger guys to help them in tough situations. It always helps.

“(Thornton is) definitely a great personality in the room and around the guys, he’s fun, he’s loud. We battled a lot in the past and I’m looking forward to battling with him this season.”

Centre Jason Spezza, 37, concurred. Eclipsed in age on the Leafs roster only by the 41-year-old Thornton, Spezza won’t underestimate the value of bringing in more leader-types to a Leafs team that many think should win the North Division.

“Bogo (Zach Bogosian), Simmer, Jumbo, they’ve added a lot of life to the room,” Spezza said. “For me, being an older guy, you welcome that kind of presence.

“Jumbo has been a guy that even as a player I looked up to, I tried to play similarly to him, even though he’s only a few years older than me. You try to emulate certain guys that play certain styles and he was a guy for me. It’s going to be nice to be on the same team for a whole year.”