Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign RHD John Klingberg (1 year, $4.15M) | UPD 11/23: LTIR

[thusk]

Yup. It's been that way as long as I can remember unfortunately.

John is going to help us more then he will hurt us, but unfortunately for him he will still likely be the Jake Gardiner of the 2023-24 season. People will only want to talk about his +/- and how many times he was on the ice for a GA.

even in a rusty game for john, he lead the team with 8 SOG. I can't remember the last time we've had a D-man put that many shots on net TBH. And it was only his first game.

I really like the idea of him on PP1, even though it was completely out of sync last night, there was one play where John took a cross seam feed on the right wall in stride and absolutely rifled a wrister that just barely missed. We've just not had that defenseman with a shoot first mentality for a very very long time. So I really think this could be something that helps open up some space fro our big boys to operate on that PP1.

I will add...What was biggest weakness of leafs D last season? Move the puck out of own zone, keep puck in the offensive end and production from dmen...

Not discussed nearly enough if at all is the positive effect Klingberg may have on Liljegren.

An offensive minded Swedish RHD with a lot of experience running the point on the PP could help Liljegren further develop the offensive aspect of his play as well. It’s nice for him to have a mentor like this to take that next step

Liljegren dont have hockey IQ or shot for it...Brodie should be a better exemple because if liljegren want to have succes in NHL, its the type of dman he need to become or he will never be anything more than 3rd pairing d.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Keefe should experiment some pairings with Brodie playing LD to see if we can get Timmins a regular spot. It’s still early preseason but Timmins is showing he belongs.

Rielly-Liljegren
McCabe-Klingberg
Brodie-Timmins

 

[Maple Leaf]

Keefe should experiment some pairings with Brodie playing LD to see if we can get Timmins a regular spot. It’s still early preseason but Timmins is showing he belongs.

Rielly-Liljegren
McCabe-Klingberg
Brodie-Timmins

kef should send glinbeberg to foward line instead of defense

 

[AcerComputer]

Keefe should experiment some pairings with Brodie playing LD to see if we can get Timmins a regular spot. It’s still early preseason but Timmins is showing he belongs.

Rielly-Liljegren
McCabe-Klingberg
Brodie-Timmins

Giordano?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Giordano?

Can tag him in and out to load manage him with Timmins.

 

[Gilmour1996]

Giordano?

Art courtesy of Pengellyink

 

[AcerComputer]

Can tag him in and out to load manage him with Timmins.

We don't have the cap space to carry 7 dmen. So we'd have to waive Gio.

 

[Stephen]

So any update on why he left the Buffalo game early?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

We don't have the cap space to carry 7 dmen. So we'd have to waive Gio.

Fine by me. He can threaten to retire like Spezza did.

So any update on why he left the Buffalo game early?

 

[AcerComputer]

View attachment 746833

Art courtesy of Pengellyink

No Matt Murray?

 

[Gilmour1996]

No Matt Murray?

He's busy being the Robidas Island fish catcher. His qualification is that he's always good for allowing 5 or 6 behind him into his net, until he tweaks something and gives up the job.

 

[phillipmike]

Offensive defenseman who can't play defense

Better than a defensive defensemen that can’t play defense.

(Cough) Holl (Cough)

 

[The Iceman]

Fine by me. He can threaten to retire like Spezza did.

Would be in the Leafs interest and I am sure it is to treat Gio with the utmost respect.

If they put him on waivers it would not encourage future Leafs to sign a sweetheart deal to this level.

 

[ACC1224]

I don't know why people think Giordano will be so quick to retire as a favour to the Leafs.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

As far as I'm concerned we can put both Gio and Klinberg on waivers at end of preseason .. da facts are we have 5 nhl defense right now .. Rielly McCabe Lily Timmer and Brodie .. and Brodie is very close to da end too .. if a team is gonna play to win then we have to face da facts .. other way to deal with it is to put Klinberg on LTIR to start season .. there is no way we are letting Timmer go .. he is in our top 4 right now

 

[Stephen]

Would be in the Leafs interest and I am sure it is to treat Gio with the utmost respect.

If they put him on waivers it would not encourage future Leafs to sign a sweetheart deal to this level.

We’re not being held hostage to a declining Giordano. If he wants to raise a stink he can make the Spezza comment about not going anywhere else if claimed. Otherwise players should make the Maple Leafs on merit and nothing else.

 

[Aashir]

I don't know why people think Giordano will be so quick to retire as a favour to the Leafs.

I think the idea is that if he gets claimed on waivers then he’d retire. We did the same with Spezza and no one claimed him.

Now obviously we don’t know if gio is in the same position as Spezza in terms of where he wants to play but him signing his league min deal probably shows that he wants to be a leaf, people probably assume that means he wants to retire a leaf.

If that is the case, I doubt a team would claim Giordano just to have the leafs lose a defencemen

 

[ACC1224]

I think the idea is that if he gets claimed on waivers then he’d retire. We did the same with Spezza and no one claimed him.

Now obviously we don’t know if gio is in the same position as Spezza in terms of where he wants to play but him signing his league min deal probably shows that he wants to be a leaf, people probably assume that means he wants to retire a leaf.

If that is the case, I doubt a team would claim Giordano just to have the leafs lose a defencemen

I understand the idea. I think it's silly to assume because one person does something, someone else will.
As a player he may actually still want to play.

 

[Stephen]

The key is we can’t lose someone else we like better in order to prioritize Gio retiring a Leaf.

 

[ACC1224]

The key is we can’t lose someone else we like better in order to prioritize Gio retiring a Leaf.

I can't imagine that being the case.

 

[Stephen]

I can't imagine that being the case.

Yep. Doesn’t make sense. Also not that jazzed about the next generation of 35-40 year olds who want to be Leafs. They can come over on league min. if they want but couldn’t be bothered if we didn’t get another Thornton, Spezza or Giordano.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

I think the idea is that if he gets claimed on waivers then he’d retire. We did the same with Spezza and no one claimed him.

Now obviously we don’t know if gio is in the same position as Spezza in terms of where he wants to play but him signing his league min deal probably shows that he wants to be a leaf, people probably assume that means he wants to retire a leaf.

If that is the case, I doubt a team would claim Giordano just to have the leafs lose a defencemen

At some point another team will call the bluff.

Once bitten twice shy. It worked with Spezza. I don't think 31 other GM's are gonna let the Leafs pull the same stunt again.

If the player threatens to retire he better be ready to retire or look pretty foolish otherwise.

If they put him on waivers it would not encourage future Leafs to sign a sweetheart deal to this level.

How much of a sweetheart deal is it if the guy is gonna be the 7th defenseman and is facing waivers so good young players like Liljegren and Timmins can have their shot instead of some geriatric old man just clinging on to try and win a cup?

 

[The Iceman]

Yep. Doesn’t make sense. Also not that jazzed about the next generation of 35-40 year olds who want to be Leafs. They can come over on league min. if they want but couldn’t be bothered if we didn’t get another Thornton, Spezza or Giordano.

Tavares, eligable next summer to sign a SWEETHEART deal.

 

[VanW27]

Does no one remember Gio giving us quality top 4 level all situations play for the first half of last season? PP, PK, Shutdown?

Sure he declined and didn't look good down the stretch and in the playoffs but considering how well he played early in the year, perhaps Keefe and Co deciding that playing the second oldest player in the league 25 minutes a night in November was a good idea might have had something to do with it. Don't forget we didn't have McCabe for most of the year either. For much of the season Gio was used as our number 1 defensive option on the left side.

I see no reason to think that if used the way he should be, as a 3rd pair defender, Gio won't be a good player for us.

 

[kevsh]

Keefe should experiment some pairings

I had to laugh when I read this.
Keefe ... experimenting?!?!

My friends, he'll be experimenting with pairings until the Leafs first round of golf next Spring.