<p>The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly in the running to bring back defenceman John Klingberg.</p>
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<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/dreger-maple-leafs-reportedly-interested-reunion-john-klingberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TSN&#8217;s Darren Dreger</a> reported Tuesday that the Leafs were one of the five-to-seven teams that expressed interest in acquiring his services, and a decision is expected within the next two weeks. Dreger expanded on his report on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnOkOfWqPE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider Trading,</a> adding that the Leafs are considered to be the frontrunners to sign him, with the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators also in the mix.</span></p>
<p>At first glance, the idea of Klingberg being back on the Leafs can <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/bringing-back-john-klingberg-would-make-zero-sense-for-toronto-leafs-morning-take" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be seen as a head-scratcher</a> given how things fared for him the first time around. He may have only been on the roster for 14 games but there were many moments when <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/the-maple-leafs-currently-have-a-john-klingberg-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he looked out of sorts defensively</a>, had trouble <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/its-time-for-the-maple-leafs-to-try-something-different" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catching up to the play</a>, and made too many gaffes that resulted in goals against.</p>
<p>Klingberg suffered a hip injury in November 2023 and  his season came to an end after he underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in January 2024. He has reportedly since resumed skating in recent weeks and is chomping at the bit to resume his NHL career 14 months after his last game.</p>
<p>Because of his hip resurfacing surgery, there is reason to believe that Klingberg&#8217;s second stint would fare a lot better than his first act and the idea of a reunion should not be quickly written off.</p>
<p>You may recall that this is the same surgery that Patrick Kane had in the summer of 2023 to help extend his NHL career for as long as possible. There were doubts that he would be able to make an impact when he was on the other side of his surgery, which he was able to put to rest when he went on to be a nearly point-per-game player and finish sixth on the Detroit Red Wings in scoring. Kane even received a pay raise last summer and shows no signs of slowing down offensively speaking.</p>
<p>Jesse Puljujarvi also underwent this surgery in 2023 and he has since been a serviceable fourth-liner for the Pittsburgh Penguins after overcoming doubts of his career being over. Matt Murray was able to work his back to the NHL and appeared in two games for the Leafs this season, after undergoing bilateral hip surgery ahead of the 2023-24 season.</p>
<p>Klingberg&#8217;s injured hip was a major reason why he struggled a lot in his first stint with the Leafs and those problems should now be fully behind him. That isn&#8217;t to say he&#8217;s going to suddenly become a defensive stalwart, but Klingberg has a better chance to hold his head above water in own his end than in the previous few seasons when his hip was bothering him.</p>
<p>If Klingberg is able to stay healthy, he would provide the Leafs with one thing they have been lacking this season: <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/should-maple-leafs-circle-back-john-klingberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a quarterback on the power play</a>. One of the reasons Brad Treliving signed him in the first place was because of Klingberg&#8217;s proficiency on the man advantage both as the setup man and as the shooter. At his best, he is a smooth skater who can help dictate the flow of the game has strong offensive awareness to know where to position himself as well as what to do with the puck.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Nylander from John Klingberg of all people, 3-2 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> lead, Willy is smooth <a href="https://t.co/AxAKLmKYTg">pic.twitter.com/AxAKLmKYTg</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexMicheletti/status/1712269928668033479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Leafs&#8217; power play has been <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-power-play-needs-factory-reset-once-for-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a sore spot all season long</a> but especially in recent weeks where there have been lengthy dry spells. It is understandable why many have been frustrated as the team is too talented for their power play to be so ineffective. While getting the pucks to bounce in their favour could help stem the tide, one thing that would help mitigate those fears is having a reliable point shot from a defenceman. Morgan Rielly has long been a player who defers to his teammates while Oliver Ekman-Larsson hasn&#8217;t done enough to secure a spot on the top unit.</p>
<p>Klingberg showed flashes of what he could bring to the Leafs&#8217; power play when healthy as demonstrated in the above clip. He is the most willing to shoot the puck as he has a higher shots/60 on the man advantage from 2021 to 2024 than, Rielly and Ekman-Larsson. And <a href="https://x.com/AHobsonMedia/status/1695038382752031048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when he gets the shot off</a>, it is difficult to stop regardless of whether it&#8217;s a wrister or a slapper. The arrival of one player alone won&#8217;t instantly solve their power play woes, but getting a healthy Klingberg there could give them an element that has been lacking this season. It certainly helps that he is a right-shot defenceman as well.</p>
<p>Part of the reason why Klingberg drew the ire of fans last season was because of his porous defensive play and the fact he was carrying an AAV of $4.15 million during the 2023-24 campaign. It would be one thing if he were a player making closer to league minimum making these mistakes, but the fact he took up a significant portion of the cap space is what made things difficult to stomach.</p>
<p>This time around, he will be signed to a cap hit that is significantly lower than that given that he is joining midseason and because of the uncertainty surrounding his health. While there have been enough recent examples to believe Klingberg can return to form, teams like the Leafs will understandably exercise caution and offer him a prove-it-type contract instead. It&#8217;s the type of deal that can be buried if he continues to struggle but makes the team look like geniuses if it works out. In other words: a classic case of low-risk-high-reward.</p>
<p>There is enough evidence to suggest that a potential reunion with Klingberg makes sense. The likes of Kane, Puljujarvi, and Murray showed that it is possible to be able to make it back to the NHL after a long time away due to hip surgery. Klingberg&#8217;s bad hip is a big part of why he struggled mightily for the Leafs defensively and those issues appear to be behind him. Combine all of that with the familiarity the two sides have and it is understandable why the Leafs are considered to be the frontrunner for Klingberg.</p>
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly in the running to bring back defenceman John Klingberg.
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/dreger-maple-leafs-reportedly-interested-reunion-john-klingberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TSN's Darren Dreger</a> reported Tuesday that the Leafs were one of the five-to-seven teams that expressed interest in acquiring his services, and a decision is expected within the next two weeks. Dreger expanded on his report on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnOkOfWqPE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider Trading,</a> adding that the Leafs are considered to be the frontrunners to sign him, with the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators also in the mix.</span>

At first glance, the idea of Klingberg being back on the Leafs can <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/bringing-back-john-klingberg-would-make-zero-sense-for-toronto-leafs-morning-take" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be seen as a head-scratcher</a> given how things fared for him the first time around. He may have only been on the roster for 14 games but there were many moments when <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/the-maple-leafs-currently-have-a-john-klingberg-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he looked out of sorts defensively</a>, had trouble <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/its-time-for-the-maple-leafs-to-try-something-different" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catching up to the play</a>, and made too many gaffes that resulted in goals against.

Klingberg suffered a hip injury in November 2023 and  his season came to an end after he underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in January 2024. He has reportedly since resumed skating in recent weeks and is chomping at the bit to resume his NHL career 14 months after his last game.

Because of his hip resurfacing surgery, there is reason to believe that Klingberg's second stint would fare a lot better than his first act and the idea of a reunion should not be quickly written off.

You may recall that this is the same surgery that Patrick Kane had in the summer of 2023 to help extend his NHL career for as long as possible. There were doubts that he would be able to make an impact when he was on the other side of his surgery, which he was able to put to rest when he went on to be a nearly point-per-game player and finish sixth on the Detroit Red Wings in scoring. Kane even received a pay raise last summer and shows no signs of slowing down offensively speaking.

Jesse Puljujarvi also underwent this surgery in 2023 and he has since been a serviceable fourth-liner for the Pittsburgh Penguins after overcoming doubts of his career being over. Matt Murray was able to work his back to the NHL and appeared in two games for the Leafs this season, after undergoing bilateral hip surgery ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Klingberg's injured hip was a major reason why he struggled a lot in his first stint with the Leafs and those problems should now be fully behind him. That isn't to say he's going to suddenly become a defensive stalwart, but Klingberg has a better chance to hold his head above water in own his end than in the previous few seasons when his hip was bothering him.

If Klingberg is able to stay healthy, he would provide the Leafs with one thing they have been lacking this season: <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/should-maple-leafs-circle-back-john-klingberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a quarterback on the power play</a>. One of the reasons Brad Treliving signed him in the first place was because of Klingberg's proficiency on the man advantage both as the setup man and as the shooter. At his best, he is a smooth skater who can help dictate the flow of the game has strong offensive awareness to know where to position himself as well as what to do with the puck.

https://twitter.com/AlexMicheletti/status/1712269928668033479

The Leafs' power play has been <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-power-play-needs-factory-reset-once-for-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a sore spot all season long</a> but especially in recent weeks where there have been lengthy dry spells. It is understandable why many have been frustrated as the team is too talented for their power play to be so ineffective. While getting the pucks to bounce in their favour could help stem the tide, one thing that would help mitigate those fears is having a reliable point shot from a defenceman. Morgan Rielly has long been a player who defers to his teammates while Oliver Ekman-Larsson hasn't done enough to secure a spot on the top unit.

Klingberg showed flashes of what he could bring to the Leafs' power play when healthy as demonstrated in the above clip. He is the most willing to shoot the puck as he has a higher shots/60 on the man advantage from 2021 to 2024 than, Rielly and Ekman-Larsson. And <a href="https://x.com/AHobsonMedia/status/1695038382752031048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when he gets the shot off</a>, it is difficult to stop regardless of whether it's a wrister or a slapper. The arrival of one player alone won't instantly solve their power play woes, but getting a healthy Klingberg there could give them an element that has been lacking this season. It certainly helps that he is a right-shot defenceman as well.

Part of the reason why Klingberg drew the ire of fans last season was because of his porous defensive play and the fact he was carrying an AAV of $4.15 million during the 2023-24 campaign. It would be one thing if he were a player making closer to league minimum making these mistakes, but the fact he took up a significant portion of the cap space is what made things difficult to stomach.

This time around, he will be signed to a cap hit that is significantly lower than that given that he is joining midseason and because of the uncertainty surrounding his health. While there have been enough recent examples to believe Klingberg can return to form, teams like the Leafs will understandably exercise caution and offer him a prove-it-type contract instead. It's the type of deal that can be buried if he continues to struggle but makes the team look like geniuses if it works out. In other words: a classic case of low-risk-high-reward.

There is enough evidence to suggest that a potential reunion with Klingberg makes sense. The likes of Kane, Puljujarvi, and Murray showed that it is possible to be able to make it back to the NHL after a long time away due to hip surgery. Klingberg's bad hip is a big part of why he struggled mightily for the Leafs defensively and those issues appear to be behind him. Combine all of that with the familiarity the two sides have and it is understandable why the Leafs are considered to be the frontrunner for Klingberg.
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