The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that defenceman John Klingberg will miss the rest of the regular season as he will undergo season-ending hip surgery. Klingberg was signed by the Leafs on July 1st, signing a one-year deal worth $4.15 million, and was expected to be a key part of the Maple Leafs Blueline. The 31-year-old defenceman got off to a hot start with the Leafs, as he had five assists in his first six games but failed to find the scoresheet in his last six games. There is no doubt that the Leafs will be in the market for a defenceman, as Jake Muzzin is also done for the year, and they just lost Mark Giordano to a broken finger. With Klingberg heading to LTIR, the Leafs now have over $14 million in the LTIR Salary pool that they can use for the remainder of the season.
The Swedish defenceman spent his first eight seasons in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. After leaving Dallas after the 2021-22 season, Klingberg split his time last year between the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, as he’s played in 633 games, putting up 81 goals and 331 assists for 412 points.
