John Klingberg is getting ready for another shot at NHL action. The 32-year-old defenseman plans to start skating again after the holidays, hoping to revive his career after a tough year on the sidelines.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen him on the ice. His last game was with the Maple Leafs back in November 2023, before hip surgery ended his season early.
Remember Klingberg in his prime? He was pretty amazing. During his early years with the Dallas Stars, he was one of hockey’s most exciting defensemen, even getting Norris Trophy consideration twice. From 2014 to 2020, he racked up 291 points in 425 games – good enough for 10th among all NHL defenders.
But things started getting complicated in the 2019-20 season. While his offensive skills were still there, his defensive game began showing some serious cracks. That’s when young star Miro Heiskanen took over as the Stars’ top defenseman.
Sure, Klingberg still put up decent numbers – 32 points in 58 games that year. He even helped Dallas reach the Stanley Cup Final with 21 points in 26 playoff games. But his defensive struggles were becoming harder to ignore.
The next few years weren’t much kinder. After leaving Dallas, he signed a big one-year, $7 million deal with Anaheim, but that didn’t work out great. His numbers there? Twenty-four points and a rough -28 rating in 50 games.
A brief stop in Minnesota followed, where he managed nine points in 17 games. But things got really tough when he was benched twice during their playoff series against his old team, the Stars.
Toronto took a chance on him last season, signing him for $4.15 million. He managed five assists in 14 games while running their top power play unit before that nagging hip problem finally forced him to get surgery.
If he does make it back to the NHL, things will be different. He’s not likely to get the 20+ minutes per game he used to play. At this point, he’s probably looking at a third-pair role and maybe some power play time – and that’s if he can find a team willing to take a chance on a veteran coming off major surgery.
The good news? He’s still got that right-handed shot that teams value, and his offensive instincts haven’t disappeared. But he’ll probably have to settle for a league-minimum contract if he wants another shot at the big leagues.
