Maple Leafs D Klingberg to have hip surgery, will miss rest of season
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Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman John Klingberg will have hip surgery at the end of December and will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season, general manager Brad Treliving told the media on Wednesday.
"I’ll have a better idea as we finalize what is going to get done and ultimately once they do the procedure of how long rehab is going to be, but it’s safe to say a five-to-six month range," Treliving said of Klingberg's timeline.
The 31-year-old, who signed a one-year, $4.15 million contract with the Maple Leafs in the summer, hasn't played since Nov. 11 due to the injury. He was placed on the long-term injured reserve on Nov. 23.
Klingberg struggled during his 14 games with the Leafs this season, recording five assists while being minus-7.
The native of Gothenburg, Sweden scored 10 goals and 23 assists over 67 games split between the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild last season.
Over 633 career games with the Dallas Stars, Ducks, Wild and Maple Leafs, Klingberg has netted 81 goals and 331 assists. He also has eight goals and 31 assists over 63 career playoff games, including 59 games with the Stars.
Klingberg was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Stars.
Maple Leafs Exploring Trade Market
The Maple Leafs have dealt with multiple injuries on the blueline this season, with Mark Giordano and Timothy Liljegren currently sidelined.
Treliving acknowledged Wednesday that the Maple Leafs have "investigated" the trade market for defensive help, though no move appears imminent.
“Would we like to help ourselves there? Sure,"Treliving said. "But having said that, what’s the cost and what’s the availability of players out there that ultimately can come in and make a difference?"
Liljegren, who has been sidelined since Nov. 2 with a lower-body injury, has resumed skating and appears to be drawing closer to a return. Giordano was labelled week-to-week with a broken finger suffered last Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.
Toronto sits fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 12-6-4 record and will visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.