MAPLE LEAFS NOTES: Sundin in team's sights in Sweden

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The Maple Leafs are getting the full Mats Sundin experience in Sweden.

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Not only was Max Domi making plans to hang out with Sundin and his family, the former Leafs captain and franchise leading scorer was slated to break bread with the coaches.

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“My understanding is, we have a staff dinner on Thursday, he is going to join us and spend time with our staff,” coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters in Stockholm. “The thought is that he would be involved in some of the things we are doing later this week, which I’m excited about. 

“It’s great to have a guy like him around. Any time our alums come around, I think it’s really good, and certainly one of his status in his home country I think is terrific.”

Domi’s well-documented friendship with Sundin, which has its roots in the days that Sundin and dad Tie Domi were Leafs teammates, needs little explanation.

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“He’s like family to me,” Max Domi said of Sundin. “I’ve leaned on him a lot over my whole life for advice, both on and off the ice, and he has been a great resource of mine and my entire family. 

“Really excited to see him and the kids and (wife) Josephine at some point and see where they live. He’s probably the greatest Swede of all time, he’s the man.”

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DEFENSIVE DECISIONS

Defenceman John Klingberg wasn’t on the ice for practice on Wednesday, making it unlikely that he will be in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

The Leafs won’t be on the ice on Thursday, as they have what Keefe called a “mandated” day off.

Klingberg, dealing with an undisclosed injury, has not skated since he played on Saturday in the Leafs’ win against the Vancouver Canucks.

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“Just wasn’t ready to go,” Keefe said. “(Leafs medical staff) thinks there is a chance he could be on the ice on Friday (for the morning skate), but I would say his chances of playing on Friday, I would put that at low given the fact he has not skated since the game the other night.”

Keefe said the long flight to Sweden overnight on Monday didn’t help Klingberg.

“We were hoping to use this time, the gap in between to give him some more time to heal, but also to have some aggressive treatment to really help, and that has taken longer than thought,” Keefe said. “The hope is that once he gets over the hump, he will be feeling better.”

Fellow defenceman Conor Timmins, meanwhile, is close to returning from a lower-body injury that he suffered during the pre-season.

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Keefe said Timmins, who is on longterm injured reserve, is “unlikely” to play against the Wings.

LOOSE LEAFS

Among the Leafs who attended the premiere of Borje: The Journey of a Legend, the docuseries on late Leafs great Borje Salming, was captain John Tavares. “An awesome event, a great movie to get some insight on his journey and his background and the impact he made in Toronto,” Tavares said. “To see the love and admiration for him here is pretty phenomenal. One of the great Maple Leafs.” … The Leafs are enjoying the attention the club’s Swedish players, especially William Nylander, are getting in their home country. “We love it, it’s great,” Auston Matthews said. “You see these guys back in their home country and the smiles and everything … I’ve found the Swedish guys are a really tight-knit group, and we kind of joke around with them about that, but it has been a nice experience so far to see the smiles on everybody’s faces.” … Never mind the Patrick Kane speculation. The focus of Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has to be on improving the defence corps via trade. If Treliving eventually acquires one or two of his former defencemen from the Calgary Flames — pending free agents Noah Hanifin, Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev — any would help, though the large and physical Zadorov would bring an element the Leafs don’t have. With the NHL trade deadline months away in early March, Flames GM Craig Conroy has lots of time to make a decision. As for Kane, not only is he the kind of player the Leafs really don’t need, Toronto couldn’t afford to sign him. Kane is in the midst of meeting with teams to gauge interest, and despite a report to the contrary, it doesn’t sound like he hunkered down with the Leafs on Tuesday. If there is Leafs interest in Kane, that’s OK, but for Treliving it shouldn’t take priority over getting help where the Leafs need it the most … For reasons he would not reveal, during his media availability, Matthews was wearing a customized shirt with a David Kampf Christmas Skate 2023 logo on it. “It’s a secret,” Matthews said with a grin when he was asked about the shirt. “I can’t tell you much about it.”

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