Very few players have more to prove next season than John Klingberg, the former top-pair defenseman who signed with the Sharks this offseason on a 1-year prove-it deal. He aims to prove to everyone that he still has what it takes to be an impact player in this league.
Klingberg, a 5th-round pick by Dallas in 2010, defied the odds to become a consistent point producer and top-pairing defenseman throughout his time in Dallas, including 21 points in 26 games during their run to the Stanley Cup final in 2020. Still, this was not enough to convince Dallas to sign him long-term, letting him walk to free agency, where he settled for a 1-year, $7 million AAV deal with the Ducks. This would be the start of Klingberg’s decline after a poor season with the Ducks, where he put up just 24 points in 50 games, before being traded to the Wild at the deadline. After that season, Klingberg would play just 25 games over the next two seasons due to double hip surgery.
This leads us to the 2025 playoffs, where Klingberg, now playing for the Oilers, had a relatively strong performance in a limited role, albeit lacking his normal offensive production. This performance convinced the Sharks to sign him to a 1-year prove-it deal this offseason.
For the Sharks, Klingberg should be given every chance to show what he is made of in a top-pairing role. The Sharks don’t have much competition on the right side and the power play on the backend, and Klingberg should see a healthy diet of minutes throughout the year. If he can continue to rediscover his game, it could be a resurgence for Klingberg, who at only 32 still has some runway to earn a multi-year deal if he has a good year. The Sharks are in desperate need of offense from their backend after trading Jake Walman at the deadline, and Klingberg could fill that role while they wait for Dickinson and Cagnoni to develop into that role in the future. So, while I don’t expect it to be a long-term marriage for the Sharks and Klingberg, they both can help each other in the short term.
Regardless of what happens, it’s been a tough road for Klingberg, and it's good to see him playing again and getting the opportunity to prove himself. And it will be fun seeing him in teal this coming season.