Three Canadian teams officially linked to former Maple Leafs and All Star defenseman
John Klingberg has been out for the entire season after a hip injury ended his last run in Toronto, but now, the Leafs are one of three teams interested in him.
Once upon a time, John Klingberg was one of the most consistently productive defensemen in the NHL, but in recent years, injuries have seemingly caught up to him, with the 32-year-old's 2023/24 season cut short to just 14 games as a result of a hip injury.
He's yet to return from that injury, but according to recent reports that return isn't far away, and as such, teams have begun to show interest in the former All-Star blue liner ahead of the trade deadline.
According to Darren Dreger of TSN, it's three Canadian teams that have been the most interested thus far, he named the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers as potential suitors.
That report was then confirmed by David Pagnotta, who revealed a further detail that Klingberg has been training in Toronto for a return, and with the Maple Leafs potentially looking for depth on the blue line, they may be the team that makes the most sense at this point in time.
These reports state that there's more likely to be 5-7 teams in the mix to land the former fifth-round draft pick, with a decision from Klingberg expected to be made in the next two weeks.
While he was limited to just five points a season ago in Toronto, Klingberg averaged an impressive 45 points a season in the nine seasons prior, and if he can get back to even close to that level, it's safe to say that he'll be a huge pickup to whichever team lands him for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
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