The Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenseman John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Klingberg last appeared in a game on Nov. 11 when Toronto downed the Vancouver Canucks 5-2.
- Coach Sheldon Keefe said Klingberg had “been working through some injuries here the last little bit” when speaking to reporters on Nov. 10.
- Over 14 games, Klingberg has recorded five assists.
- The Maple Leafs signed the 31-year-old to a one-year deal with an average annual value of $4.15 million in July.
How does this impact the Leafs’ cap?
After weeks of uncertainty regarding Klingberg’s short-term future, the Leafs have some clarity on him and, by extension, their salary cap picture. With Klingberg moved to LTIR, the Leafs have just over $3.3 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. As it stands, the Leafs have five players on LTIR but there could be more moves coming soon. The first of which saw the Leafs bring up the white-hot Alex Steeves ($834,167 AAV) from the Marlies. Steeves was riding an 11-game point streak with the Marlies and could potentially bring some offense and energy to the Leafs’ fourth line.
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The next move will undoubtedly see Conor Timmins activated from LTIR himself ahead of Friday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Timmins spent the last two practices on the Leafs’ third pair and the second power-play unit and Keefe said the team is “preparing” for him to play.
The severity of Klingberg’s injury and how long he’ll actually remain out of the lineup remains to be seen, but if his undisclosed injury is serious or possibly requires surgery, general manager Brad Treliving could have some much-desired space to upgrade his blue line. Treliving described his defense as a work in progress in the summer after the Klingberg signing. We could soon see some serious progress made via a trade to make a Leafs team that has the ninth-highest goals against per game (3.41) more defensively sound. — Joshua Kloke, Maple Leafs staff writer
Who steps up?
Timmins will shoulder the load of Klingberg’s absence, at least offensively, immediately. Keefe said on Thursday the right-shot defenseman’s strengths are “similar to what Klingberg’s strengths are” and that “having more mobility and puck movement and offensive contributions can help us for sure.”
Timmins was in the middle of an impressive preseason when he went down with a lower-body injury on Sept. 29. While Timmins’ defensive game has its gaps, his offensive inclinations will be welcomed given the absence of defenseman Timothy Liljegren. Timmins should get continued reps on the power play throughout the Leafs’ back to back this weekend to get caught up to speed as quickly as possible. — Kloke
Required reading
(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
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