Last Chance Saloon: Former All-Star Skates with Juniors in Desperate NHL Bid
John Klingberg didn’t play much in the NHL last season, and after not landing a deal in free agency this past summer, he’s now ready to make a return.
Back in the 2010 NHL Draft, the Dallas Stars took a chance on Swedish defenseman John Klingberg in the fifth round, and ultimately it would turn out to be a fantastic draft pick for the team.
Klingberg would go on to play 552 games with the team over eight seasons, but since being traded he has gone on to play with Anaheim, Minnesota and Toronto, failing to recapture the success he had with the Stars.
However, an injury riddled season with Toronto a year ago has seen Klingberg out of the spotlight, with many believing his hip injury would severely effect his chances of a future in the NHL at 32-years of age.
Now though, Elliotte Friedman is reporting that he is now set to resume skating with a junior team in hopes of a return to the NHL, with the belief being that he can find a role by late January.
Given Klingberg’s extensive NHL experience with over 630 games played in the league thus far, there’s no doubting that teams out there looking for help would certainly consider him as he looks to get back in the league.
In his last full season in 2022/23 with Minnesota and Anaheim, Klingberg posted 10 goals and 33 points in 67 games played with a combined -25 differential in that time, and while he was injured for the majority of his time in Toronto, he still showed plenty of promise.
At this point, it’s unclear what the market for a 32-year old coming off a down, injured year would be, and we won’t know until teams find out the situation regarding his health, but for now this is a very interesting situation to keep an eye on as teams could be looking to load up with depth before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
