Dallas Stars: John Klingberg’s Return Arriving At Perfect Time

The Dallas Stars will receive some much-needed reinforcements on Thursday night as John Klingberg returns to the lineup. And, with his return, the Stars will receive a critical element to their overall success.

For the past 41 days, the Dallas Stars have been missing a piece to their puzzle. But, this piece hasn’t been a small edge piece or an unnoticeable filler; it’s left a large hole in the center of the overall picture.

That puzzle piece is defenseman John Klingberg. After breaking his hand while blocking a shot in a game against the San Jose Sharks back on Nov. 8, the defender immediately left the ice in pain. The hand ended up requiring surgery. And, after eight screws and two plates were installed, Klingberg began what turned into a six-week recovery process.

In his absence, Dallas found a way to stay afloat. It isn’t easy losing a critical piece like Klingberg for an extended amount of time. He’s arguably the most valuable member of the Dallas Stars makeup and brings poise, skill, and a winning pedigree to the lineup.

But the Stars managed without him for 41 days. With no. 3 in the press box, the Stars posted a 8-8-2 record. It’s not an incredibly promising mark, but considering the situation, it is a respectable one. Players like Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther, Taylor Fedun, and Ben Gleason were called up from the AHL at different points to round out the lineup, while players like Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, and Roman Polak were called to take on bigger roles. It was a full-team effort, and the Dallas Stars made it work.

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And that leads us to Thursday night’s contest. The Stars are home for a second straight game and will welcome in the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s an important divisional game and could potentially propel Dallas back into the playoff picture if they can secure a win. For the first time in six weeks, they will go for that win with John Klingberg back on the blue line.

“A little bit,” Klingberg said about his nerves after the optional morning skate. “Not too bad right now. Maybe a little bit right before warmup and after warmup. I think after the first shift, everything is going to be normal. Like I said, I just want to keep it simple for the first period and second period as well until I feel like I’m in the game again.”

It’s been a long recovery process for Klingberg, who had only missed eight combined games over the past three seasons with the Dallas Stars before this year. But with his addition to the lineup, the Stars are getting a lot back. Even “a lot” might be underselling it to a certain point.

Klingberg, who was in the running for the Norris Trophy last season, is a critical cog on the Dallas blue line. He can eat up large minutes, play a sound game on offense and defense, and contribute in all three zones.

“He’s a great offensive mind,” said Stars head coach Jim Montgomery. “He really is an intelligent hockey player on and off the ice and he thinks the game at a high level. I enjoy talking to him just like Spezza because they think the game always. They’re always thinking about different ways to attack. Either power play, or penalty kills, or 5-on-5, neutral zone, or offensive zone play. It’s fun talking to players like that who are always thinking about the game.”

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Klingberg’s return should also be of great value to the Stars’ top power play unit. When Klingberg initially moved to the injured reserve, the Dallas power play sat 11th in the NHL with a 24.4 percent success rate. Since that time, the Stars’ man advantage has dropped to an 18.8 percent success rate. And while things have been better in the past week or two, there was a painful period of adaptation that the team had to go through.

“Well, it’s just his confidence,” Montgomery said of Klingberg’s value to the power play. “He wants the puck. I remember going to a Canada Cup game in 1981 and I got an opportunity to watch Gretzky play; he never shut up on the ice because he wants the puck all the time. Your best players want the puck and that’s what Klingberg is; he’s that kind of player. That’s why the power play missed him so much because he demands pucks and either distributes it or shoots it well.”

In addition, Klingberg talked about the lessons he learned regarding the Dallas power play while he observed it from the press box on various nights. He plans to implement those new tips tonight while skating on the first unit in his usual spot.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said regarding if he learned anything about the Dallas power play from afar. “But, first thing I think is try to get on the power play and be vocal and discuss the things. I think it’s important that we do that and I feel like we have success as well when everyone is on the same page. So, I think that’s a big key.”

There’s a familiarity of success in the air when John Klingberg is on the ice. When he headed to injured reserve, the Stars were 9-5-1 and sitting in the wild card picture. In his absence, Dallas has slipped to just outside the postseason picture as a whole. His offensive pressure mixed with his defensive smarts make him a tough opponent for any hockey team, especially when he can skate north of 20 minutes a game on a nightly basis.