Maple Leafs defenseman to have hip surgery, done for season

The Hockey News’ David Alter shared an update from Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, who said that John Klingberg is set to undergo hip surgery at the end of the month. This surgery will end the 31-year-old defenseman’s season.

Klingberg was moved to long-term injured reserve at the end of November without disclosing the injury at the time. He will now miss the remainder of his first season with the Maple Leafs, after signing a one-year, $4.2M contract with the team on July 1st. He appeared in 14 games with Toronto this season, recording five assists, eight penalty minutes, and a -7.

The veteran Klingberg was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars. He continued playing in Sweden and Finland’s top leagues until the end of the 2013-14 season when he joined the AHL’s Texas Stars – earning his NHL debut in 2014-15. Klingberg would go on to play in eight seasons with Dallas, totaling 552 games and 374 points with the club. Klingberg signed a one-year, $7M contract with the Anaheim Ducks ahead of the 2022-23 season. He played 50 games and scored 24 points in Anaheim, before being traded to the Minnesota Wild at that year’s trade deadline.

After 17 games in Minnesota, Klingberg joined his fourth NHL club this summer. He’s totaled 412 points, 255 penalty minutes, and a -40 in 633 career NHL games. Klingberg ranks 24th in games played amongst the 2010 NHL Draft class. He also ranks second in career scoring among defenders in that class, behind Cam Fowler’s 426 career points.