Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Friday morning that defenseman John Klingberg has been working through injuries and will not play tonight against the Calgary Flames.
Klingberg’s injuries weren’t specified, but it comes on the heels of another difficult performance for the former Dallas Stars defenseman. Klingberg has five assists in 13 games to go along with a minus-eight rating. According to Evolving-Hockey, Klingberg’s minus-1.8 goals-above replacement and minus-0.3 wins-above replacement are both 17th on the Leafs, with only forwards Noah Gregor and Ryan Reaves being worse.
Many wondered if Klingberg would become a healthy scratch at some point, but with Jake McCabe, Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins missing time with injuries, it made it harder to keep Klingberg out. Klingberg was the seventh defenseman at practice on Thursday, which sparked rumors he’d miss Friday regardless.
Fortunately for the Leafs, McCabe will make his return to the lineup after last playing 10 seconds against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 26. Currently in his first full season with the Leafs, McCabe has yet to register a point while playing 16:46 a night – a big step down from his 19:28 with Toronto in 21 regular season games last year.
The Leafs are in the midst of a rough patch, going 4-4-2 over the past 10 games. Toronto’s last win came on Monday, a 6-5 overtime win over Tampa Bay that saw the Leafs trail for most of the contest. They last won consecutive games last month, looking good in a three-game stretch against Tampa Bay, Washington and Dallas.
The Leafs will host the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game against the Flames on Friday before welcoming the Vancouver Canucks to town on Saturday. They’ll then get a few days of rest before traveling to Sweden for a two-game set against Detroit and Minnesota next weekend.
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