Sheldon Keefe provides update on the seemingly injured John Klingberg
During the first period of the Leafs and Sabres pre-season game last night, new Leafs defenseman John Klingberg left the game and did not return. When he did not return for the second or third, many fans were concerned that it might be a serious injury, which would not be a good way to begin the 2023-24 season.
Following the Leafs' win, Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Klingberg. Keefe revealed that something had "tightened up" on Klingberg and that holding him out of the rest of the game was more precautionary than anything. Keefe also mentioned that Klingberg will be re-evaluated on Thursday to assess how much time, if any, he will miss.
Klingberg signed a 1-year deal when free agency opened that will see him earn $4.15M. Although he isn't exactly the type of blueliner that GM Brad Treliving prefers - one of those big-body, physical defensemen - Klingberg was brought in to help take some of the offensive pressure off of Morgan Rielly and even found himself on the Leafs' top powerplay unit.
For Klingberg, this season is an important one after a down year in 2022-23, split between Anaheim and Minnesota. A strong year with the Leafs will line him up for a big pay day next summer. Another down year or an injury-riddled season would only hurt his stock.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 28 | 499 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe provides update on the seemingly injured John Klingberg How many points will John Klingberg need to score for you to consider his 1-year, $4.15M deal a success? | ||
| 35-40 points | 106 | 21.2 % |
| 41-50 points points | 196 | 39.3 % |
| 51-60 points | 152 | 30.5 % |
| More than 60 points | 45 | 9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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