Defenseman John Klingberg should recover from his upper-body injury in time for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first game of the regular season next Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 31-year-old Swede was injured during a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on September 25 and aggravated his condition two days later against the Buffalo Sabres.
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On Friday, Klingberg was able to train regularly with the group. The day before, he had put his skates back on for the first time in a week. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said he won’t play the final preseason game on Saturday but should be ready for Wednesday.
“I tell myself that I could play tomorrow [samedi] No problem, but it would also be stupid to do something that could waste even more time. I will listen to the doctors, I think they are intelligent enough to know,” the veteran admitted at a press conference.
“Taking a few extra days isn’t going to hurt anyone, but if it had been a regular season game I would probably try to play,” Klingberg added.
The Habs will have the offensive defender in their hands, who was one of the Queen City team’s most important acquisitions this summer. After stints with the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, he moved to the Eastern Conference for the first time.
Last season, Klingberg scored a total of 33 points in 67 games while the margin was -25.