Analyst comments on Klingberg's future with the Leafs and how they have to navigate the potential LTIR situation
Yesterday following practice, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that defenseman John Klingberg would be unavailable for this weekend's games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Klingberg has missed the past two games for the Leafs and three of the last four with a 'lingering' injury that, according to Klingberg, he has dealt with most of his career.
There has been plenty of speculation as to what Klingberg's injury actually is, but TSN's Darren Dreger believes, based on history and his mobility, that it is something to do with his hips. Klingberg had hip surgery earlier in his career, so this certainly checks out.
On TSN1050's First Up this morning, analyst and former Leaf Mike Johnson was asked if he thinks Klingberg will play for the Leafs again and revealed just how bad his injury is.
Johnson also stated that his first thought when his injury was announced was that Klingberg would be heading to LTIR and 'Robidas Island' and that nothing over the last 10 days has changed his mind. Johnson mentioned that the Leafs need to ensure the injury is in fact season ending for cap reasons.
When Klingberg was signed, the majority of Leaf fans questioned the signing because of his defensive issues. The Leafs were well aware of them and their hope was that playing Klingberg with Jake McCabe would hide some, if not most of those issues. Unfortunately, that did not work as planned and Klingberg quickly became the whipping boy for Toronto fans. Should Klingberg find himself on LTIR for the season, it will free up $4.15M in cap space as Johnson mentioned and will allow the Leafs to upgrade whichever position or positions they feel need an upgrade.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 23 | 282 ANSWERS Analyst comments on Klingberg's future with the Leafs and how they have to navigate the potential LTIR situation Do you think Klingberg will play another game as a Leaf, including a possible playoff return? | ||
| No, he's done | 190 | 67.4 % |
| Yes, he might return, but not until the playoffs | 52 | 18.4 % |
| He'll return later this season | 40 | 14.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
