Despite the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs already tried the John Klingberg experiment, reports surfaced on Tuesday that the organization might be looking to run it back. The Leafs are among a handful of teams talking to Klingberg’s camp about a return to the NHL after months away with an injury and lingering questions about his hockey future.
“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.”
The Vancouver Canucks are also in the mix, but apparently, they aren’t as serious as other teams are. How serious the Maple Leafs are in these discussions was not made known.
Maple Leafs Need a Power Play Quarterback
In one respect, it’s understandable the Leafs might explore this idea. “They need to go out and get an offensive defenceman that can run the power play,” said former NHLer Carlo Colaiacovo on TSN First Up. The reason they need to go out and find someone is because Morgan Rielly has come up short when asked to play that role.
Colaiacovo explained:
“They need to get an offensive defenseman that can run the power play because for seven plus years they allowed Morgan Rielly to be that guy, and within those seven years, every year they’re looking for a guy that could replace him as a shooting threat on that power play. They tried different guys nothing’s ever worked. It’s always been back to Morgan Rielly.”
He noted that he wasn’t trying to “crap” on Rielly. He said, “I love Morgan Rielly as a defenseman.” He admitted, however, that if they’re still struggling with the power play with him still being the guy, “…how about you have a guy that is better than him on the power play that could maybe let him settle into a lesser role on the second you do instead of the first two?”
Does Klingberg Work in a Limited Role?
Considering the cap space issues the team has and their rebuilt blue line, perhaps someone like Klingberg does make some sense. If he’s comfortable with spot duty on the power play and has the experience (while short-lived) of having run it in the past, he might work as someone who gets limited minutes in a super-defined role.
There is no guarantee that this experiment will work, but the risk is relatively low if the money is next to nothing, and Klingberg is open to signing a deal that gives Toronto options. If he wants a one-way, with a no-trade clause, that’s likely a no-go for GM Brad Treliving. But, if Klingberg can be moved up and down or traded if another team decides he’d make for an interesting rental, Toronto can test-run this idea.
Klingberg to Toronto Is Likely a Long-Shot
As intriguing as the idea might be, Klingberg coming back to Toronto seems a bit out of place, considering how this team has built its blue line. Treliving has prioritized grittier, bigger bodies that play defense. At this point in his career, Klingberg seems to be extremely one-dimensional.
He might fill one need, but even that’s a maybe. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be effective in the NHL, and there’s a greater likelihood that he won’t be. Never say never, but Treliving kicking tires on this might simply be him talking to an ex-player and getting a read for what the defenseman has on his mind.
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