John Klingberg was on the ice for four goals allowed in a 6-3 loss to Ottawa.
John Klingberg was on the ice for four goals allowed in a 6-3 loss to Ottawa.
John Klingberg came into this season with concerns about his defensive play. The Swedish defenseman admitted it when speaking to the media following his signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July.
But things reached a new low for the 31-year-old on Wednesday when he was on the ice for four of the Ottawa Senators' even-strength goals in a 6-3 loss.
Klingberg's shifts did not look great.
On Ottawa's third goal, Klingberg lost his footing and wasn't quick enough to the spot in his recovery.
Following that play, Klingberg was shifted down to the bottom pair to skate with Simon Benoit, while William Lagesson moved up to skate with Mark Giordano.
It wasn't just bad puck luck. Klingberg had the worst expected-goals rate of any Leafs defenseman on Wednesday at 46 percent, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Things got worse for the club defensively and Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was fed up with his team's defensive issues after the game saying his concern level was "very high."
"Some of it is individual, some of that’s collective within the structure. Some of it is just being committed to it," Keefe continued. "We sit in here and celebrate the guys who score big numbers and score a ton and all that kind of stuff. We don't talk enough about what we give up. That's the reality. We gotta prioritize keeping the puck out of our net."
Keefe admitted that he was concerned about Klingberg's play in particular. But what specifically can be done at this point?
"We need to protect him better."
The Leafs appear to be stuck with the defenseman. His $4.15 million cap hit can't really be buried. Keefe's only option is moving him further down the lineup. And given the injuries the club is dealing with at the position with Jake McCabe (groin) and Timothy Liljegren (ankle), it's a terrible spot for both the player and the club to be in.
Klingberg is now minus-8 for the season, the second worst on the Leafs. Ryan Reaves is worst at minus-9.
The Senators came into this game having lost five of their last six games and as they've typically done, they've risen to the occasion in games against the Maple Leafs.
Perhaps that's what is most frustrating for Keefe who saw this as a very winnable game and Keefe he took the opportunity to call out the team's play as a whole.
"The game’s right there for us. We just made big mistakes in really important times. In the second period, we overstretch our shift and the puck’s in our net. We’re kind of chasing the game from that moment," Keefe said. "Those are our best players on the ice. Can’t happen."
For the third consecutive season, the Maple Leafs are off to a slow start to begin the season. They've righted the ship before. But this seems to be taking a little bit longer.
"You go through adversity together and I think that builds character and you got to look at it positively," William Nylander said. "We know we’re not playing great and we know we can play better, but adversity is really good for us."
Regardless, Keefe appears to be losing his patience on the same narrative building early on in the regular season.
"It doesn't feel any better going through it," Keefe said. "I think our group deserves better. Individually, guys deserve better to play better.
"Our fans deserve better, it's not good enough."
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