Sheldon Keefe admits he didn't give one Leafs newcomer enough credit
The Toronto Maple Leafs drew a lot of criticism this summer when they signed unrestricted free agent defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15M deal. Due to the fact that the Swedish rearguard is best known for his offensive capabilities, he is constantly criticized for his defensive abilities - sometimes rightfully so.
While many believed that the Maple Leafs should have signed a more defensively responsible player with the departure of Luke Schenn, Klingberg filled a major void nonetheless. His intangibles with the puck will catapult the Leafs offensive game to even newer heights, especially on the power play.
One member of the Maple Leafs coaching staff has admitted that he did not give Klingberg enough credit when he first arrived. Head coach Sheldon Keefe gave the Swedish defenseman his due after the first game of the season, claiming that his defense stood out in conjunction with his offense:
"He was way better defensively than I gave him credit for."
Now of course, it's only been one game and the Maple Leafs allowed 5 goals to the Montreal Canadiens. Klingberg did however finish the game as a plus-1, played in 24:38 TOI, finished 2 checks, and recorded 2 assists.
He didn't look lost, he wasn't out of position all too often, and he played a sound game. Not bad for a guy who missed most of the pre-season with an injury. For most players, we won't analyze their first game of the season in any real depth, but it is important to make such an early observation about Klingberg's better-than-advertised defensive game based off of all the criticism that was thrown his way.
He admitted that playing for the Minnesota Wild after the trade deadline was difficult because there was no time to adjust to a new system. His game with the Anaheim Ducks was tough to analyze considering their placement in the standings, and back when he was with Dallas, it was a mixed bag, but they always took the good with the bad.
At the very least, the Maple Leafs and their coaching staff saw what Klingberg is capable of doing when he's on his game and the hope is that he continues to play a consistent, reliable, and responsible game, while taking advantage of being on the top power play unit.
| POLL | ||
13 OCTOBRE | 69 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe admits he didn't give one Leafs newcomer enough credit How many points will Klingberg rack up this year in Toronto? | ||
| 60 or more | 15 | 21.7 % |
| 40-59 | 42 | 60.9 % |
| Less than 40 | 12 | 17.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
