Klingberg practiced as an extra defenseman at practice on Thursday.

It wasn't a surprise to learn that John Klingberg would be held out of the lineup when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Calgary Flames on Friday. Still, the reasoning certainly came out of left field when Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe addressed the media in the morning.

"John Klingberg has been working through some injuries here the last little bit so today’s a chance for us to give him time to work through that and we’ll have a better sense of where he’s at tomorrow but he won’t play tonight," 

There have been no indications that Klingberg had been hurt this season. If that's the case, it may explain the Swedish defenseman's struggles this season which hit a new low on Wednesday when he was on the ice for four goals against in a 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Keefe said Klingberg had been dealing with injuries for quite a while.

"Nothing obviously that’s kept him out of the lineup but it’s something we want to give him an opportunity to work through and have a better sense of exactly what’s going on and where he’s at," Keefe said.

Jake McCabe, who missed the last six games with a groin injury will enter the lineup in Klingberg's place. Keefe also said that he didn't think Klingberg's injuries were related to the upper-body injury he sustained during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 27.

Signed a one-year, $4.15 million deal but the Leafs in July, the Leafs had hoped Klingberg would bring some offense on the back end while repairing his defensive game. Klingberg has five assists in 13 games this season and has the second-worst plus-minus rating at minus-8.

Klingberg spoke to reporters on Thursday following practice and spoke about his struggles on the ice. 

"I'm not happy about my performance," he said. "We'll see what happens (about his spot in the lineup) but it's the coach's decision."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqDm_94lSjQ[/embed]

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