Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed on Friday morning that Klingberg is out of the lineup, though it's injury-related.
Toronto will be without one of their big free-agent signings from this summer against the Calgary Flames on Friday.
John Klingberg was the odd man out in practice on Thursday and during Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe's media availability on Friday, he confirmed that the 31-year-old defenseman would be out of the lineup as he works through injuries.
"I don’t feel like I’m moving my feet well," Klingberg said following practice on Thursday. "There’s stuff to work on for sure."
That means Jake McCabe is good to go for Toronto. The 30-year-old hasn't played since October 26 when he injured his groin just one shift into the game.
Toronto begins the first half of back-to-back games on Friday night against Calgary before heading to Sweden next week. Joseph Woll will get the start for the Maple Leafs while Dan Vladar starts for the Flames.
With it only being an optional morning skate for Toronto, here is their projected lineup for Friday's game.
Simon Benoit will appear in his third-straight game with the Maple Leafs after starting off the year in the press box before getting a few games in with the Marlies. The 25-year-old has a 76.30 xGF% through two NHL games, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Although Pontus Holmberg is up with the Maple Leafs, it doesn't appear he'll be in the lineup. The 24-year-old was recalled on Thursday morning after the team sent Max Lajoie to the Marlies.
Where to watch
In Canada, the game will be available to watch on TSN4 for people in the Maple Leafs region. It will also be broadcasted on Sportsnet West for those in the Flames region. For the rest of the country, the game can be found on Sportsnet+.
In the United States, the game can be streamed on ESPN+. Worldwide, it will be streamed on NHL Live.
The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET with puck drop shortly after.
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