Oilers Among Frontrunners for John Klingberg as He Attempts Return

The Edmonton Oilers have had a strong 2024-25 campaign and seem poised to make a return to the postseason. They made some strong moves in the offseason to make up for the losses of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg by bringing in Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson, but it doesn’t seem like they may be done adding to their roster just yet. In a couple of recent reports from Darren Dreger and TSN’s Insider Trading, it seems as though the Oilers are frontrunners for a defender who has had some serious injury issues in the past, and that’s John Klingberg. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks were also listed as potential suitors for him, but Dreger mentioned that the Maple Leafs and Oilers are currently frontrunners to sign him. 

Related: Insider Claims Oilers Gauging Defensive Trade Market, Open to Making Moves

Klingberg, who is 32 years old, played with the Maple Leafs for part of the 2023-24 season before his campaign was cut short so he could deal with an ongoing issue with his hip. He was placed on injured reserve on November 23rd, 2023, and hasn’t played a game in the NHL since then. At the time, he was expected to miss 5-6 months and be able to return for the start of the 2024-25 season. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to get back to playing form until recently, and it seems as though he’s ready to crack an NHL lineup now. 

Klingberg had signed a one-year, $4.15 million contract with the Maple Leafs for the 2023-24 season, but he was eventually placed on LTIR allowing them to spend elsewhere. He had five assists in 14 games before being placed on injured reserve. In the 2022-23 campaign split between the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, he scored 10 goals and added 23 assists for 33 points through 67 games. His offensive-minded style of play attracted teams in need of depth, and it seems as though the Oilers are intrigued about the possibility of him adding depth to their lineup. 

Klingberg’s Defensive Issues Should Scare Teams

Klingberg’s offensive style might be what earns him a new contract with whichever team chooses to pay him to play a depth role. There will be obvious concerns about his health considering how major his hip injury was, but if he has moved past it and is fully healthy, he might be worth considering bringing in. Through 633 career games in the NHL, he has scored 81 goals and added 331 assists for 412 points which comes out to a 0.65 points-per-game average. His defensive inconsistency could be an issue, though. 

John Klingberg is reportedly pursuing an NHL comeback after undergoing hip surgery. pic.twitter.com/UkZXiocYhy

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 14, 2025

Having a lack of defensive skill is something the Oilers should flag when looking for a new addition to their lineup. One of their biggest issues for many seasons was their lack of defensive depth and their inability to bring in players who could shut down teams from being able to score against them. With defensive depth still being a small issue, it isn’t something that holds them back anymore. With Emberson playing extremely well on the back end, Darnell Nurse rebounding and having a solid season, as well as the stability of both Mattias Ekholm and Brett Kulak, it doesn’t make sense to sign Klingberg.

On top of all that, the Oilers already have an offensive-minded defender in Evan Bouchard, and they don’t need to bring in someone else who relies on their offensive ability to make up for their mistakes in the defensive zone. Even if Klingberg wants to sign on a minimum deal, the Oilers should avoid signing him. He could be a solid add if he agrees to sign a two-way contract for the remainder of the season and only plays as an extra during the postseason, but bringing him in right now just doesn’t make sense. 

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