Muzzin: Leafs give off 'similar feelings' as Cup-winning Kings team

Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner Jake Muzzin believes there are similar traits between his current club and the Los Angeles Kings team he won the Stanley Cup with in 2014.

"It definitely helps when you have great personalities in the room," Muzzin told reporters Saturday. "When it feels like a tight group and kind of like a family atmosphere in there, it's a lot more fun to be a part of. Everyone caring for each other, working for each other, and it helps on the ice when you're trying to set up your teams for success.

"Similar feelings in both rooms that I felt in L.A. and with this group here in Toronto, so it's been a lot of fun, and obviously winning games helps."

Muzzin played with the Kings from 2010-2019 and was an essential part of the club's 2014 Stanley Cup run with six goals and six assists through 26 games.

Toronto, which ranks fifth in points percentage (.714), added several veteran players this offseason, including 41-year-old Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, and TJ Brodie. Muzzin credits some of the fresh faces for bringing the squad closer together and believes their added experience will prove invaluable down the stretch.

"With the guys and the characters that we brought in, it definitely helps," Muzzin said. "... We have some great personalities that want to spend time with all the guys and get guys together, and it brings everyone closer.

"... You want to eliminate the downs and don't get too high when things are going good, so I think we have guys in the room that understand that. They've been around, they've seen seasons and games where situations come and go."

The Leafs begin the second half of their season Saturday with the final tilt of a three-game set against the Winnipeg Jets.