Toronto placed Klingberg on LTIR on Friday, meaning the earliest he can return is Dec. 12 against the New York Rangers.

The Maple Leafs are likely to receive more clarity on John Klingberg's timeline next week.

The 31-year-old defenseman hasn't played since Nov. 11 in Toronto's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Just under two weeks later, Klingberg was placed on LTIR due to an undisclosed injury.

Klingberg has reportedly "aggravated something in his hip," TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday while on OverDrive.

"He's continuing to work through things here," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Friday after the 31-year-old was placed on LTIR. 

"Now, the decision's made to just give him more time to sort through everything and I don't think we'll see any sort of clarity on exactly his timeline or anything like that here in the near future."

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But according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines, the Maple Leafs might actually have a better outlook on Klingberg's timeline soon.

"I think we're going to have a better idea next week," Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines. "Klingberg is evaluating his options, whether they would be rehab or surgery, but I think sometime next week we're going to have a clearer picture of what his timeline will be."

With Klingberg on LTIR, the earliest he can return is on Dec. 12 against the New York Rangers. And it's clear from Keefe that the 31-year-old isn't ready to leave the game just yet.

"He's in good spirits and all that sort of stuff. But I know he wants to play at the same time and he is a competitor and he tried to play through it earlier and the decision was made that he was going to require more."

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