John Klingberg shows huge advantage for Oilers signing free agents
Photo credit: NHL.com
The story of Edmonton Oilers defenseman John Klingberg's return to the NHL has been quite remarkable and has put the Oilers in a great position requiring free agent talent.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman took a chance on Klingberg after he had recovered from invasive hip resurfacing surgery after being shut down by the Toronto Maple Leafs in December 2023.
Klingberg's game has shown what many thought he was capable of
Klingberg has shown but he can play at an elite level once again as he has been instrumental in helping the Oilers move through the 1st and 2nd rounds of these playoffs.
The Oilers suffered a terrible injury to Mattias Ekholm prior to the playoffs beginning and many were wondering what Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch would do to replace Ekholm.
Klingberg was inserted into the lineup in the first round in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings. For someone who hadn't played much hockey in the last year and a half, he moved the puck with poise, made key plays at both ends of the ice, including assisting on a couple of goals with slick passes, and made an incredible block in Game 6, finishing with a +3 rating in five games in the opening round.
- Sean Panganiban
- Sean Panganiban
Through ten playoff games, he has scored no goals but has three assists and as a + 5 and has been relied on heavily by the coaching staff as he's been given well over 20 minutes a game mostly throughout these playoffs.
Klingberg eager to faceoff against his old team in Western Conference Finals
The 32-year-old defender is eager to face off against his old club the Dallas Stars as he always felt under appreciated for what he had brought to the table for the team when he was one of their mainstay defenseman.
Back in 2021-2022, Klingberg spoke to the media and gave a candid view on where he stood as a Dallas Star and their management.
«For me as a player, I don't feel I've been appreciated in that way. When we don't even negotiate - it's quiet. So, for me as a player, and my agent, we talked with Jim a couple of months back, and he agreed that we can start talking with other GMs and see where we're at. But negotiation-wise with the Stars, it's been quiet. It's a little bit disappointing for sure, but it's a business.»
- John Klingberg
- John Klingberg
After leaving the Stars, he spent some time with the Minnesota Wild and with the Toronto Maple Leafs in which he had his hip troubles it needed major surgery.
This reunion of both the stars and Klingberg while playing for the Oilers could give Klingberg a chance to rewrite the narrative and show his former club that he still has what it takes as the Oilers look to move on to get back to the Stanley Cup finals for a second year in a row.
Game one of the Western Conference finals will take place on May 21st and game time will be 9:30 PM eastern.
| POLL | ||
MAI 20 | 513 ANSWERS John Klingberg shows huge advantage for Oilers signing free agents Do you think the Oilers should re-sign John Klingberg this summer? | ||
| Yes | 430 | 83.8 % |
| No | 83 | 16.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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