In today’s NHL rumors rundown, a surprising piece of news popped up on Tuesday morning as TSN’s Darren Dreger broke the story that defenseman John Klingberg is trying to make his NHL comeback. 5-7 teams are interested, but who is the frontrunner? Meanwhile, how willing are the Minnesota Wild to make moves at the trade deadline?
Several Teams Interested in John Klingberg’s Comeback
News broke on Tuesday that former All-Star defenseman John Klingberg was looking to make a comeback. After missing significant time due to injury, it was reported he is now eyeing his NHL return. Perhaps surprisingly, several teams are interested.
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
Dreger also noted that the Vancouver Canucks had shown interest in Klingberg but added, “However, unless something changes, the Canucks aren’t as keen as others.” The fact the Canucks need a defenseman but aren’t seriously looking at Klingberg is interesting.
Filip Hronek is returning to the lineup for the Canucks, which could have something to do with a reserved level of interest.
It’s unclear what the timeline of a deal would be, but it has to be imminent if Klingberg intends to play this season. For any team looking at the defenseman, the assumption is that he would sign a contract that is either league minimum or could be buried if not a two-way deal. It would be hard to imagine any club being comfortable with the risk that Klingberg comes back, only to be ineffective or not able to play based on his injury history.
Where Does Klingberg Fit with the Oilers?
For the Oilers, they have been linked to Klingberg before. But, that was when there was some uncertainty about the future of Evan Bouchard. Now that he’s turned into a top-pairing defenseman and is set to earn a big payday while quarterbacking the power play, is there really a fit there? Perhaps Klingberg could be a depth piece, but the Oilers seem to like their blue line and he’s not the obvious upgrade or home run GM Stan Bowman might be looking for.
The Oilers have been reportedly looking for a right-shot defenseman, but the priority would be to get a solid two-way defender with size and grit. Klingberg is not exactly that.
Wild Want to be Active, But Cap an Issue
While a guest on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, The Athletic’s Michael Russo acknowledged that the Minnesota Wild don’t have a lot of salary cap room to work with.
Citing back to a couple of years ago when Bill Guerin didn’t make huge moves but added three or four pieces and noted, “he’s definitely willing to trade picks and prospects right now.” He adds:
“So if you look at their roster, and you map it out, just not a lot of room for prospects.” He said that might hint at the organization being open to trading guys like Marco Rossi, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy. He added, “But I do think that at some point, if they can afford it, and it might not be this year because of their cap situation, that he’s willing to do that.”