The NHL Network is spending the last few weeks of the offseason releasing their list of the Top 50 Players in the league right now. And through nos. 50-41, the Dallas Stars have already made an appearance.
The Dallas Stars have talented players on their roster. Not only that, but their levels of talent vary.
They have top-tier players, veteran talents, promising youth, and critical role players. But they also have a handful of superstars in their lineup, and that cannot be overlooked.
That’s because not every team can say they have a “handful.” Some teams only have one superstar to carry the load, and there are some that don’t necessarily have any superstar talent to put their faith in.
But this isn’t a problem for the Stars. Dallas has been lucky enough over the past few seasons to add superstar talent to their roster, either through trade, free agency, or proper development.
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And now, they have the ability to trust in players like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov in big game situations. But they aren’t the only ones.
26-year-old defenseman John Klingberg has quickly built up his own case as a superstar in the Stars’ lineup. And through his first four seasons with the Dallas Stars, the defender has done nothing but improve and transform himself into an elite option on the blue line.
The Stars know of his reliability and Klingberg continues to impress. And that finally has the rest of the NHL on watch.
A few weeks ago, the NHL Network released their list of the Top 20 Defenders in the NHL right now. It was part of a series done by the network where they also ranked the Top 20 Centers, Top 20 Wingers, and Top 10 Goaltenders.
Benn made the list of top wingers, Seguin made the list of top centers, and Klingberg found his way onto the list of top defenders for the first time in his career. That may be odd to contemplate for some Stars fans considering the front row seat they’ve had watching Klingberg develop from a fifth-round pick to a no. 1 defender in four short years.
But he found his way onto the list nonetheless, coming in at no. 10 overall. That’s another interesting point to debate when you consider Klingberg’s breakout season in 2017-18.
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Under the direction of head coach Ken Hitchcock, Klingberg became a complete, all-around defenseman. He skated an average of over 24 minutes per game, contributed heavily in the offensive end while also sticking firm to his defensive play, quarterbacked the top power play unit, contributed valuable minutes on the penalty kill for the first time in his career, and put up eight goals and 67 points (the second-most in the NHL). He did all of this at the age of 25.
Now, he’s the top defender in Dallas and the Stars have him locked down for the next four years. It’s a setup that is almost too good to be true.
But he’s not just one of the top defenders in the league right now. According to the NHL Network, he’s also one of the Top 50 NHL Players overall.
As part of their final segment in the series that will lead them up to the regular season, the network is spending each of the next four weeks releasing parts of their list of the Top 50 Players right now. This past Sunday, they started the countdown with nos. 50-41. Coming in at no. 46 was Klingberg.
Were these guys ranked too low? Too high? Tell us what you think! #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/iPTt5BcCJU
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 3, 2018
He is slotted just above names like Dustin Byfuglien, Filip Forsberg, and Mathew Barzal while being just below Jack Eichel, Pekka Rinne, and Alex Pietrangelo. That’s a pretty fair assessment, though you might be able to make an argument for his name to move in either direction.
But the bottom line is that Klingberg’s incredible season not only vaulted him into Top 20 defender talks, but also into Top 50 player talks. And we can’t forget Norris Trophy talks, either. That should not be overlooked for a 26-year-old that has taken large strides in his own development over the last four years.
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And with new head coach Jim Montgomery‘s relentless, possessive style taking control of the Stars’ play in 2018-19, it could very well be yet another record-shattering year for the young Swede.
The Dallas Stars have a lot of talent, with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin typically being considered as the headliners. But Klingberg has found a way to wedge himself up near the top with them. He’s an elite defender that panned out beautifully for the team and should be a cornerstone of the blue line for years to come.
The final 40 players will be released over the next three weeks, and both Benn and Seguin will likely make the list.
But seeing Klingberg’s name in the mix is both special and promising. No. 3 doesn’t seem to have an off switch in his play on the ice. We’ll see where that takes him in the season ahead.