Unrestricted free agent defenseman John Klingberg will resume skating shortly after the vacation break in hopes of constant his NHL profession, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet stories Saturday.
Now 32, Klingberg has been out of fee for over a yr after present process season-ending hip surgical procedure whereas with the Maple Leafs in early December 2023. The 2015 All-Rookie Group member final performed almost a month prior on Nov. 11.
The Swedish native was a dominant offensive drive in his early days, ending within the prime six in Norris Trophy voting twice within the first 4 seasons of his profession with the Stars. From his NHL debut in 2014-15 till the COVID-19 pandemic truncated the 2019-20 season, Klingberg posted 291 factors in 425 video games for the Stars, rating tenth amongst defenders league-wide. His 0.68 factors per recreation had been seventh amongst these with over 100 video games.
In that 2019-20 season, although, the ever-present defensive cracks in Klingberg’s recreation started to frame on outweighing the offensive advantages. That yr noticed him lose the title of the crew’s de facto No. 1 choice on the blue line to up-and-comer Miro Heiskanen, and whereas he nonetheless contributed 32 factors in 58 video games, he logged a -10 score – reaching the negatives for the primary time in his profession. He added 21 factors in 26 postseason video games as Dallas marched to the Stanley Cup Closing however posted a -5 score that was second-worst amongst Stars blue-liners.
It was extra of the identical for Klingberg over the subsequent couple of seasons as his even-strength ice time and on-ice aim differential continued to say no. He was nonetheless a top-four menace offensively, logging 47 factors in 74 video games within the 2021-22 marketing campaign, however nonetheless hit free company the next summer season and didn’t garner a lot curiosity in a long-term deal.
That led to a one-year, $7M prove-it cope with the rebuilding Geese after he had been unsigned for weeks. His stint in Anaheim was short-lived and unremarkable. He posted 24 factors and a -28 score in 50 video games on a 2022-23 Anaheim crew that allowed an unimaginable 39.1 photographs per recreation. He was dealt to the Wild on the commerce deadline, the place he completed the yr with 9 factors in 17 video games and was scratched twice of their six-game loss to the Stars within the first spherical.
That slightly uninspiring efficiency led to a different one-year pact on the open market the next summer season—this time, a $4.15M dedication from the Maple Leafs. His stint in Toronto was additionally fairly short-lived. He posted 5 assists in 14 video games whereas quarterbacking their prime power-play unit earlier than the hip problem, which had been nagging for the reason that finish of the prior season, pressured him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season.
If he does handle to land one other NHL provide, it actually received’t be within the top-four, 20-minute common ice time position he’s grown accustomed to. As an already-declining veteran coming off main surgical procedure, Klingberg touchdown rather more than the league minimal on a one-year deal for the remainder of 2024-25 could be stunning. The suitable shot would probably issue right into a third-pairing position at even power with second-unit power-play utilization.
