TORONTO — Clarity, at last.
Three weeks after John Klingberg‘s skates last touched the ice during a Toronto Maple Leafs practice, Brad Treliving and his club’s antsy fan base have their answer.
After consulting with specialists in New York City, Klingberg has elected to undergo season-ending hip surgery at the end of December, a procedure that will require five to six months of recovery.
“That’ll effectively end his season,” the Leafs GM announced to reporters Wednesday.
The right-shot defenceman will be paid in full, but his $4.15-million salary will remain stashed on long-term injured reserve, freeing cash for Treliving to address the Leafs’ No. 1 need in the trade market.
His play through 14 games hampered by bad hips, Klingberg underwent aggressive treatment in November as a last-ditch attempt to get on track. But when the Leafs traveled to his native Sweden, it became apparent that Klingberg’s injury had become too painful to push through.
“It’s always been there throughout my career, but I’ve been able to deal with it and work through it. But it kind of hit a rock bottom here these last few weeks,” Klingberg said on Nov. 17 in Stockholm, his last media availability as a Leaf.
Klingberg underwent double hip surgery in April 2014 and has dealt with mobility issues since.
The 31-year-old earned a $4.15-million, one-year contract with the Leafs in summer and entered the season as a top-four defender and top-unit power-play quarterback.
Klingberg’s play underwhelmed (four assists, minus-7), and questions surrounding his future began to circulate.
“It’s just disappointing that I can’t play. That we’re back home in Sweden and all that, it kind of doesn’t really matter. I mean, it’s big for us to be here as a Swede in Sweden and play, but if I would be over in Toronto or on the road or whatever, it’s still disappointing that you can’t be able to dress up and go out and play. That’s just the way it is,” Klingberg said that day in Stockholm. “Not good enough.”
Thanks to the elevated play of depth options William Lagesson and Simon Benoit, the Maple Leafs have held their own without the services of Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren (high-ankle sprain), and Mark Giordano (broken finger), but Treliving realizes he’ll need to outsource for help if his club is to make a serious postseason run.
The GM attempted to trade for Calgary’s Nikita Zadorov last week but did not have the cap flexibility to take on such a contract. Zadorov ended up on the Vancouver Canucks.
Treliving certainly has eyes for another Flame, Toronto native Chris Tanev. Like Klingberg, Tanev is a veteran right shot, but the stay-at-home defender brings a fearless, shot-blocking, penalty-killing element that Klingberg does not.
Seattle’s edgy Will Borgen — signed through 2024-25 at a $2.7-million cap hit — is another reasonable option.
As long as the Maple Leafs keep gathering points, there is no reason to rush into a trade.
But rest assured, Treliving has been granted a mulligan on an ill-fated UFA signing and now armed with cap space.
The Maple Leafs will be working the phones, aggressively trying acquire a replacement (or two) for Klingberg’s vacated cap money.
One-Timers: Joseph Woll will make a fifth consecutive start for the Maple Leafs in Ottawa Thursday…. Ilya Samsonov (illness) will travel with the club but is not guaranteed to back up. The Leafs recalled Martin Jones from the Marlies on an emergency basis just in case…. Ryan Reaves skated in line rushes Wednesday and appears to be keeping his lineup spot, while Bobby McMann is headed toward another scratch.
