After Wednesday’s practice, GM Brad Treliving discussed the news of John Klingberg’s surgery, his activity in the trade market, and the naming of Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten to the Team Canada WJC selection camp.
Treliving’s update on John Klingberg: Surgery will effectively end his season
Treliving: John is going to have a surgical procedure. They are finalizing the day, but it looks like it will be at the end of the month of December. That will effectively end his season.
I will have a better idea as we finalize what is going to get done and ultimately, once they have the procedure, what the timeline is going to be. It is safe to say it will be in the five or six-month range.
Once it was clear and it was definitive in terms of the path, we wanted to make sure we shared it with you. That is the news today.
How is John Klingberg handling this news?
Treliving: Disappointed like any player [would be]. He was hopeful that this wouldn’t be the case, but once you make that determination or it is finalized, step two is getting through it, getting through the procedure, getting ready for rehab, and going from there.
Was there another option that would have allowed Klingberg to come back?
Treliving: No. At the end of the day, the option that we looked at was patchwork, right? This was really aggravated in the Florida game, which was game four or five. You saw him patchwork it for a few weeks.
Ultimately, we wanted to take some time here to figure out what the best outcome is. How do you get the best outcome? This needs to be done.
How much do you think the injury was hobbling Klingberg when he was trying to play through it?
Treliving: It was affecting him, right? Any time that you get to a point where you have to have a procedure done, it is significant. Those are not just done for the sake of them getting done. Obviously, it was significant.
How does this news impact what you might do on the trade market?
Treliving: I know there is a lot of speculation out there. I am learning that Toronto gets speculated about a lot, whether it is true or not.
John is a player we brought in here who is a good defenseman. He is no longer going to play for us. We just have to be cautious. We have players who are coming back.
It is no secret we have investigated what the market is and what those costs would be. Would we like to help ourselves there? Sure.
Having said that, what is the cost and what is the availability of players out there who can come in and make a difference?
Credit to the guys who have come in and are playing hard. Hopefully, we can get some reinforcements back. They are starting to trend in a positive direction. We will continue to look and see if there are ways to help ourselves.
Does having clarity on Klingberg’s situation make your job easier?
Treliving: I don’t know if easier is the word. You have clarity, right? It’s really important versus saying, “Is he or isn’t he? We have gone through a time of, “Is he or isn’t he?”
You never like to see a player go down, but we do have clarity now. He is not going to be available to us. It is next man up. The manager has to continue to look at our group and ways we can help ourselves.
What is your reaction to Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten being named to the Team Canada World Junior selection camp?
Treliving: I think it is a feather in the cap for both players. Any time that you are identified for that team, it is a tremendous honour. Hats off to both of them.
I looked at the numbers [in camp], and I think there is some weeding to go. They probably have to make a couple of cuts. But it is a great honour. I am very proud for both. I sent them a note.
Being recognized like that is a great honour. Now go in, have a really good camp, and hopefully, represent your country. Great honour for both.
