Sheldon Keefe Gives Worrying Update On The Health Status Of Key Leafs Defenseman
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some problems on the blueline this season.
The team has struggled defensively and now injuries are decimating their already-thin defense core.
Unfortunately, head coach Sheldon Keefe gave an unfortunate update on the status of one of the team's prominent defenseman.
Keefe: No Change In Klingberg's Health Status
The Leafs head coach gave the update on Klingberg's status this morning. The update was not positive, as it sounds like Klingberg will continue to stay out of the lineup.
Sheldon Keefe on John Klingberg:
D-man will not be playing this week
The veteran defenseman has reportedly been dealing with a flare up of a reoccurring injury he's dealt with throughout his career.
Apparently the long flights to and from Sweden did not help his condition and now his future in the NHL is genuinely in question.
Possible Solutions For The Toronto Maple Leafs On Defense
The silver lining with Klingberg's injury is the possibility of putting him on long-term injured reserve as a way to free up 4.15 million dollars in cap space. Doing so would allow the team to make some moves to bolster their back end.
The Leafs have already been linked to the Flames for defensemen Nikita Zadorov and possibly Noah Hanifin as well.
Zadorov made a trade request from the Flames that went public earlier this month.
As a result, the Flames have had to do some damage control to salvage his value but with multiple teams reportedly interested in him, the Leafs could be forced to win a bidding war.
The move could be worth it if the team is finally able to achieve some sustained success in the playoffs, but that is yet to be seen.
As seen on Maple Leafs Daily :
Sheldon Keefe informs the media where things are at with John Klingberg; it doesn't sound promising
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