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Seven More Years of Klingberg: An In-Depth Look at his Contract

By Allison Scott

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Every now and again comes along a young NHL player who shows immense ability that was relatively unexpected. In the fifth round of the 2007 Entry Draft Dallas selected Jamie Benn 129th overall and look how well that turned out. John Klingberg is much the same. In 2010 Dallas picked Klingberg 131st overall and now he’s a mainstay for the Stars, while other teams are hitting themselves over the head questioning just how they missed out on him.

Dallas solidified Klingberg as one-sixth of their blue line yesterday when they signed the twenty-two year old Swedish defenseman to a seven-year $30 million dollar contract. This deal comes days after the Stars completed their 2014-2015 regular season, which goes to show just how badly they wanted to lock down number-three. Klingberg would have been a restricted free agent come July 1st had Dallas not completed the deal, meaning they would have had the opportunity to match any offers he received.

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With a $4.25 million average salary until the end of the 2021-2022 NHL season Klingberg will be a key piece to the hopeful Stanley Cup contending teams in that time, but just what will Dallas be getting for the sixth highest paid Stars player?

Vision

Klingberg possesses one of those things that you can’t learn as a hockey player and it’s his ability to thread pucks through the opposition almost perfectly to turn a simple Dallas Stars possession into a scoring opportunity. He is methodical in his play on the ice and while he made mistakes last season, as is expected from rookies, he has grown immensely at the same time. Klingberg’s vision will be something that will undoubtedly aid him in the remainder of his NHL career and it’s a characteristic the Dallas Stars feel they need moving forward.

Scoring

With forty points (11G, 29A) in sixty-five games Klingberg led all rookie defenseman, and Dallas Stars defensemen, in scoring. He also broke some records along the way including scoring the most points for a Dallas Stars defenseman during a rookie season, and accumulating eight points (3G, 5A) in his first eight NHL appearances to become the first Stars d-man to achieve that feat. Klingberg is a creative offensive defenseman and those skills are only going to improve in the years to come.

Age

At the start of next season in October Klingberg with be newly twenty-three years old, which puts him around the same age as other Dallas Stars core members Jamie Benn, who will turn 26 in July, and Tyler Seguin, 23. A young core, especially one to the caliber of the Dallas Stars right now, is a source of positivity for the team because it means they have a few years to perfect their mistakes and make a serious run for a championship. His young age also means the 6’2”, 180lb blue liner will have ample time and opportunity to increase his size and be even tougher to play against in the defensive zone.

Overall Klingberg’s abilities on the ice and his immense potential more than account for his rather high salary increase, he made $750,000 last season, and Stars fans can only hope that he continues to improve and make General Manager Jim Nill proud of his confidence in the young blue liner.

Do you think the Stars made a good deal for Klingberg? Leave your opinions in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!

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