John Klingberg to Have Season-Ending Hip Surgery as Maple Leafs Get Clarity On Defense
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving says the defenseman will have surgery in New York at the end of the month, effectively ending his 2023-24 campaign.
John Klingberg's season has come to an end.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving says the defenseman will have hip surgery at the end of the month, effectively ending his season.
"It's safe to say five to six months," Trelving said of how long Klingberg's recovery will take.
The 31-year-old defenseman hasn't appeared in a game since Toronto's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 11. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed in a quarter-season press conference that Klingberg was dealing with a hip issue suffered against Florida Panthers back in October. Although the defenseman continued to play, it was clear to the team that any other alternative wasn't an option.
The defenseman went to Sweden following the game against the Canucks and was unable to participate after "aggressive treatment" on his hip.
"The option we looked at was patchwork," Treliving said. "Ultimately this has to be done."
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Clarity on the trade market?
Toronto placed the Swedish-born defenseman on LTIR on Nov. 23 and will be able to use all of Klingberg's $4.15 million salary cap hit without any concern for clearing that space later on in the season.
Treliving has reportedly been trying to bolster the team's defense with Calgary Flames defenseman Chris Tanev identified in multiple reports as a target.
During their pursuit, Toronto wasn't sure if Klingberg's would return or not this season thus having to figure out if they were going to have to find space for him later in the year.
With Klingberg on the shelf for the year, that may speed things along on the trade market.
"You've got clarity which is really important," Treliving said. "We've gone through this whole time saying is he or isn't he. You never like to see a player go down, but we do have clarity now that he isn't going to be available for us."
The Leafs are without Klingberg, Mark Giordano (finger) and Timothy Liljegren (high ankle sprain) although Liljegren has been back on the ice over the last week.
Klingberg finishes his tenure with this season having played in just 14 games while registering five assists. Treliving signed Klingberg to a one-year deal in July.
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