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Sweater No. 3 is carrying one thing of a curse for the Maple Leafs.
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After sporting final yr and making it Justin Holl’s most troublesome as a Toronto defenceman, the sweater was handed to John Klingberg, whose first 5 weeks have been largely forgetful.
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Whereas each Swedish Leaf has had an exquisite time in Stockholm the previous few days — reconnecting with household and mates in the course of the NHL’s International collection, Klingberg is making solely token appearances at observe. He’s getting what coach Sheldon Keefe known as “aggressive” therapy for an unspecified damage, presumably to do together with his hip surgical procedures eight years in the past, that has hampered his skating and contributed to his minus seven and 12 giveaways, second amongst crew defencemen to full-timer Morgan Rielly.
Klingberg lasted about 10 minutes in Saturday’s exercise. Requested if prolonged day off may very well be within the playing cards, Keefe stated “it’s actually attending to that place.”
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“He performed the sport final weekend (a win over Vancouver) and I assumed performed fairly nicely,” Keefe instructed the travelling media. “However he has been uncomfortable and with the day off (travelling to Europe and him not enjoying) they tried to make use of it (for remedy). They nonetheless assume that can assist and repay for him, it’s simply taking him longer to bounce again.”
Klingberg stated early within the journey that he’s “form of hit all-time low the previous few weeks” making an attempt to play by means of it.
It’s irritating for the Leafs as nicely, after investing $4.15 million US within the 31-year-old this season following his first rate playoff with the Minnesota Wild and was displaying promise in camp as Jake McCabe’s associate. He was introduced in particularly to enhance artillery on the facility play, however that hasn’t been realized but, whereas his admittedly common defensive recreation has been exploited by foes.
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Now out every week, the hazy standing of his damage and Keefe’s quotes sound like a preamble to placing him on injured reserve. Maybe to not the extent of goalie Matt Murray (who has undergone bilateral hip surgical procedure) and defenceman Jake Muzzin (neck and backbone points), the 2 combining for greater than $10 million in cap aid within the last yr of their contracts. However any financial savings on Klingberg nonetheless leaves Toronto in want of one other defenceman, even with Conor Timmins more likely to return subsequent week in one of many back-to-backs in Pittsburgh and Chicago.
That stated, call-ups William Lagesson and Simon Benoit have stood up nicely because the Leafs attempt to not overload 40-year-old Mark Giordano.
Speak of a commerce with Calgary for Nikita Zadorov, who had stated he wished out, or a Flames veteran corresponding to Chris Tanev has eased after their membership went into Saturday in opposition to the Islanders on a streak of 4-1-1.
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There was a lot debate about how a lot the Leafs would miss the stay-at-home Holl in the long term by not re-signing him. Whereas the improved Wings like Holl up to now at $3.4 million for the subsequent three years, enjoying greater than 16 minutes an evening, of their first common season head-to-head with the Leafs on Saturday, Holl was on the ice for the tying energy play objective by William Nylander and the winner by ex- Wing Tyler Bertuzzi.
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HARD LEFT TURN
With out right-shooting Klingberg, the injured Timothy Liljegren and Timmins, the Leafs hold getting by with six lefties on their blueline.
“It’s by no means excellent asking three guys to play their off-side,” Keefe stated. “Simply the way in which you see the ice and the angles you possibly can settle for passes, make passes. All of these issues change and typically we don’t have an excellent sufficient understanding of how onerous that’s for lots of men.
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“I assumed McCabe did a superb job yesterday, coming off an damage (adjusting left to proper). However he picks his spots nicely.”
WILD TIMES
The Leafs meet the Wild at 2 p.m. native time Sunday at Avicii Area. It’ll be onerous for Toronto to high Friday’s three-goal rally with franchise main scorer Mats Sundin’s shock pre-game look to learn out the beginning lineup and Borje Salming’s son Anders dropping the puck between the late defenceman’s two groups, however a win would ship them residence three video games above .500.
In fact, they have been thrilled on the finish of Keefe’s speech concerning the Swedish connections to Leaf historical past, when he launched the rarely-seen Sundin. The lineup had three countrymen, plus Rielly and Sundin’s nice pal Tie Domi’s son Max.
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“He was messing with me earlier than the sport,” laughed Max. “He stated ‘who is aware of, you is likely to be beginning’. Tremendous particular to listen to him announce my title.”
WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE
Our pal Ken Campbell of Hockey Unfiltered has been highlighting a brand new rating system known as Situational Scoring.
Inside it are vitals corresponding to a participant’s first objective in a recreation, in addition to any objective that places his crew forward at any stage — together with additional time — any that ties a recreation at any time and a ‘comeback’ objective, scored when a crew trails by two or extra and turns into a part of a collection of targets ultimately tying the sport, no matter final result.
There’s additionally additional time and shootout winners and Campbell’s tweak of the league’s game-winning objective components, defining it as a objective that places that crew forward to remain.
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The league chief in Situational Scoring as of Saturday morning is Nylander with 21.5. rankings, 2.5 up on Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes with Toronto’s Auston Matthews at 18.
LOOSE LEAFS
Rielly got here out after Saturday’s observe to fulfill just a little Swedish woman with a No. 44 sweater and signal proclaiming she was named for the defenceman by her Canadian father. Rielly signed a stick for her and posed for a photograph … Nylander participated in a Q&A with the general public as a part of fan festivities on Saturday, whereas Sundin and Detroit Crimson Wing alumnus Nicklas Kronwall handed out reward luggage to avenue hockey gamers … Giordano says he could be open to making an attempt a neck guard after the deadly skate blade damage to British league participant Adam Johnson earlier this month … Keefe says the league-high six bench minors has been mentioned among the many Leafs, however disputed Friday’s name for too many males as two Leafs bumping into one another on a play that had no impact on the sport … These questioning if UFA winger Patrick Kane may change into a Leaf can be noting his thirty fifth birthday on Sunday.
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