John Klingberg of the Toronto Maple Leafs has a hip injury.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that defenseman John Klingberg has been placed on long-term injured reserve. Klingberg was signed to a one-year, $4.15 million contract in the offseason. This injury appeared to have hampered his production thus far this season. There was no word on whether he will have surgery or when he will be able to return. However, the 31-year-old has a history of hip problems.
With a hip injury, John Klingberg has been placed on long-term injury reserve.
We’ve all heard how painful hip injuries can be for hockey players. Klingberg had double hip surgery in 2014, and recovery would be more difficult at this point. He had missed the previous two games prior to this decision. This is unfortunate news for Klingberg, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens next for him and the Leafs.
John Klingberg, aka The Ghost of Gothenburg, a ten-year NHL veteran, joined the Leafs in free agency this summer. He had struggled in the previous two NHL seasons, despite maintaining modest levels of point production. He scored 47 points in 74 games for the Dallas Stars in 2021-22. He had 33 points in 67 games for the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild last season. His defensive point share (DPS) was down, as has been the case for several years. It was 1.4 last year and 2.3 the year before. When he was with the Stars in 2017-18, he set a career high of 5.1. The Leafs had hoped
This leaves a void on the back end for the Maple Leafs. Fortunately for them, defenseman Conor Timmins is ready to return from LTIR. Timmins was there after sustaining a lower-body injury during training camp. He will now be able to succeed Klingberg. Furthermore, this frees up more money for the Leafs’ management to work with in terms of cap space. If we exclude Timmins’ $1.1 million, the Leafs have $15.8 million in LTIR cap relief, according to capfriendly.com. As they prepare for Friday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, they could field a 23-man roster for the first time since 2023-24. That is a useful option for rotating players in and out of the lineup, but
