There was still hope in Toronto, but it all came crashing for Maple Leafs’ defenseman John Klingberg on Wednesday when the team announced that he will have surgery on his hip at the end of the month, per Brad Treliving.
He is shut down for rest of 2023-24.
Klingberg was added to the Maple Leafs’ back end in the summer, earning a $4.15-million, one-year contract with the Leafs as a free agent. He was positioned to become a top-four defender and top-unit power-play quarterback for the season, hence pushing Toronto back into playoff contention and possibly an even longer run. His salary will remain on the team's long-term injured reserve, freeing money to go hunting for defenseman in the trade market.
Along with Klingberg, the Maple Leafs now have a total of $14,462,500 in their LTI Salary pool that they can now use for the remainder of this season, with Jake Muzzin and Matt Murray also on LTIR who likely won't be returning this season.
It was recently reported that the Maple Leafs had attempted to acquire Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames before the latter was moved to the Vancouver Canucks. Toronto is believed to be quite active on the trade market in search for a solution on their blue line, and Klingberg's news will only make the matter more pressing for the Leafs and GM Brad Treliving.
The 31-year-old blue liner played through 14 games with an underwhelming performance, putting up just five assists and minus-7 rating.
Out since Nov. 11 with a hip injury, Klingberg was expected to provide an update on his condition throughout this week, but today’s news is certainly not what the Maple Leafs were hoping for.
The surgery now effectively ends his season, and possibly his tenure with the Maple Leafs.
Recommended articles:
