Defenseman John Klingberg has not played an NHL game since Nov. 11, 2023, when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In December 2023, Klingberg needed to have hip surgery and would miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
However, it wasn't with the Maple Leafs that Klingberg played his best hockey. It was with the Dallas Stars from 2014-2022. In the 2014-15 season, Klingberg made an immediate impression on the Stars by making the 2015 All-Rookie Team and finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting.
Klingberg has yet to be signed by a team after the 2024 playoffs concluded, but now he is drawing interest from teams. The Ottawa Senators are among one of the teams interested in the 32-year-old.
Senators interested in signing Klingberg
This morning, hockey insider Darren Dreger tweeted that the Senators, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, are among teams interested in Klingberg.
John Klingberg is closing in on resuming his NHL career. Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton among the teams with expressed interest. A decision expected in next 2 weeks. Klingberg had hip resurfacing surgery in 2023 and has worked hard to get to this point. 5-7 teams in the mix.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 14, 2025
If the Senators added Klingberg, they would get a defenseman who's hungry to get back to NHL speed after missing over a year. While Klingberg had some struggles playing with the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and Maple Leafs from 2022-2023, it was during his Stars tenure where he was spectacular.
In 552 games as a Star, Klingberg recorded 374 points. Of Klingberg's 374 points, 303 of them were assists. In the 2017-18 season, Klingberg made the NHL All-Star Game and recorded a career-high 67 points. Fifty-nine of Klingberg's points were assists.
In his eight seasons as a Star, Klingberg was at least top five in assists every season. In the 2017-18 season and 2020-21 season, Klingberg led the Stars in assists. In the 2015-16 season, Klingberg was tied for the most assists on the team with Jamie Benn.
Klingberg was a tremendous passer and would be one of the Stars' top powerplay players. However, Klingberg also has playoff magic to him.
In the 2019 playoffs, Klingberg scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2019 first round to eliminate the Nashville Predators. When the Stars made the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, Klingberg's 21 points was the second most on the roster only behind Miro Heiskanen.
Klingberg would be a solid addition to the Senators' powerplay and bring veteran leadership to a young team. Klingberg could also help elevate Jake Sanderson's offensive abilities on the powerplay and help him grow more along with Thomas Chabot.
The Senators can use another offensive defenseman on their roster who has excellent passing abilities. Although Klingberg hasn't played since November 2023, he's going to be eager to return to the NHL and play