If the Vancouver Canucks want to add a right-shot defenceman who can help the team move the puck, they might not have to trade for one. John Klingberg, a free agent, is right there for the taking.
Klingberg, 32, is a former NHL All-Star who last played for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, appearing in 14 games before undergoing a season-ending hip resurfacing surgery. This is the same operation that former stars like Nicklas Backstrom, Patrick Kane, and former Canucks center Ryan Kesler underwent.
Just over a year out of the game, Klingberg is apparently healthy and ready to make a comeback, according to TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger.
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
Dreger named the Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators, and the Edmonton Oilers as three teams expressing interest in adding Klingberg to their ranks; should the Canucks be among them?
Why the Canucks should sign John Klingberg
Given his age and injury, Klingberg is not going to command a big salary or a long-term contract. Truthfully, the Swede might not command more than a one-year deal for the league minimum, especially at this point in the season.
Even with Filip Hronek coming back, the Canucks are still short on natural puck-movers on both sides of the defence, and especially so now that Erik Brannstrom has been banished to the AHL. In the absence of Hronek and Quinn Hughes, the Canucks were deploying the likes of Tyler Myers and Carson Soucy on the power play. That won't cut it with games this time of the year meaning more than in October.
Klingberg has always been average-to-below-average in defence, but he historically has made up for those deficiencies with his scoring abilities and knack for transporting the puck.
The three-time Gold medalist has recorded 40 or more points in a season six times in his NHL career, including five straight years from 2014-15 to 2018-19. In 2018, Klingberg was named an NHL All-Star in recognition of his high-octane offence; the former 131st overall pick finished the 2017-18 season with eight goals and a career-high 59 assists and 67 points.
Although those days are well in the past for Klingberg, who is now on the wrong side of 30, they contrast greatly with what the Canucks have on their defence today.
Noah Juulsen has yet to record a point in his 31 appearances this season. Carson Soucy, Vincent Desharnais, and Derek Forbort have a combined one goal and 11 assists between them. Brannstrom, now in the AHL, had eight points in 28 games.
Because Hronek has missed so much time due to injury, Myers is the only Canucks defenceman not named Hughes with 10 or more points this season; he has 12, and Hughes has 47.
Effectively, the Canucks do not have much to lose by taking a chance on Klingberg. The inherent risk in bringing in an aging player of this profile is that the offence is too dried up to account for the lack of defence. That risk is amplified coming off a major hip surgery, but then again, what do the Canucks have to lose? They aren't even in a wildcard playoff spot at the moment.