Muzzin becomes 14th Maple Leafs player to enter COVID-19 protocol

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jake Muzzin in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, the team announced Sunday.

The club now has 14 players and several staff members - including head coach Sheldon Keefe - in the protocol.

Maple Leafs captain John Tavares, starting goaltender Jack Campbell, and top defenseman Morgan Rielly are all in the protocol. William Nylander, Alexander Kerfoot, Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, David Kampf, TJ Brodie, Travis Dermott, Rasmus Sandin, and netminder Petr Mrazek have all received the designation as well.

Toronto has the second-most players in protocol among NHL teams, trailing only the Calgary Flames as COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the league.

The NHL originally postponed three Maple Leafs contests from Dec. 16-19 and eventually paused all games from Dec. 22-26. It announced Friday that all games on Dec. 27 have also been postponed.

Toronto last played on Dec. 14 and is next scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 29. The Maple Leafs have had five games postponed so far.