Sheldon Keefe Sends Clear Message to one of the Maple Leafs newest players, appears to make him a scratch

There's not really any way to sugarcoat it. Defenceman John Klingberg of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been downright awful so far this season. Now, coach Sheldon Keefe is sending him a message.

After being on the ice for four of the Leafs six goals against last night, Klingberg found himself as the odd man out on the blueline at practice. According to Jonas Siegal of The Athletic, Klingberg practiced as a seventh defenceman.


That means Klingberg will likely find himself as a healthy scratch for Toronto's next game, which is Friday night against the Calgary Flames. He was paired at practice with Conor Timmins, who was wearing a red no-contact sweater.



While I'm sure the Leafs would much rather have a defenceman making $4.15 million this season on the ice, Keefe has very little choice at the moment but to send some messages and possibly ruffle some feathers. Friday's game against Calgary will be interesting, as it will feature two teams that were molded by Toronto GM Brad Treliving. Both are struggling at the moment.