Dallas Stars: Is John Klingberg worth a new contract or is his star fading?
Is John Klingberg still a top defenseman worthy of a large contract by the Dallas Stars or is the money better spent elsewhere? Klingberg, 29, was drafted by the Stars in 2010 and as soon as he debuted in 2014-15 he made an impact.
He rose quickly through the ranks of the Stars defensemen and established himself as a Norris Trophy candidate in his early years. His abilities have slipped as of late, however. His stats are in a steep decline, the salary cap is getting tight, and other players deserve the money more than he does. Barring a miraculous turnaround or a really cheap contract I don’t see a Klingberg contract going well for Dallas.
Dallas Stars: Salary cap and young talent
Currently, on the NHL roster, the Stars have 3 defensemen locked up until 2025-26. Two of their defensemen have a no-movement clause. These 3 defenders currently make up 22% of the cap, adding another $7.5 million for a new Klingberg contract would take it up to 31% of the $81.5 million salary cap annually. The Stars would need a team-friendly deal in the $5 million range at most, and I cant see Klingberg signing a contract like that.
With a decent draft class for defensemen, and players like Thomas Harley looking more and more ready for NHL-level competition I don’t see the benefit in bringing Klingberg back to an already financially strained roster.
While we would certainly feel a difference without Klingberg, we could recover quickly by retaining some grit in the bottom defensemen pairing while infusing the top 4 defensemen with a young, hungry player like Harley. Holding on to Klingberg could inhibit the growth of the team as a whole.
Dallas Stars: Poor play and age
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll remember the list of blunders that Klingberg has had, thankfully he’s also had a lot of good moments too. That being said, a specific Stars/Oilers game from 2016 comes to mind. That game was not the only time Klingberg put the puck into his own net, either.
Now that we’re having to look into it skeptically, we have to ask ourselves if the pros outweigh the cons in favor of a new contract. Klingberg’s play reminds me of Erik Karlsson and how his massive extension with San Jose has only hindered their success. The Stars dodged that one back in 2018, the Stars cannot afford to make that mistake this time around.
Klingberg’s age is another factor that needs to be taken into consideration. He will be 30 before the 2022-23 season starts, meaning he would be approximately 36 before his contract ends making $7.5 million all the while.
Given his current state of decline and +/- that went from +6 to -10 and finally -15 this last season, there’s not much showing a turnaround in his future. It would be understandable for a young player to put these stats up, but not for a seasoned veteran expecting a superstar contract like Klingberg.
Dallas Stars: RFA’s and UFA’s that take precedence over a Klingberg contract
John Klingberg has been struggling these past few years and it’s shown. He’s had a few very clutch moments but like his plus/minus stat line he’s been a cause for loss more than one for victory. There are 8 combined UFA’s and RFA’s that should be a priority for Dallas to sign before bringing back Klingberg.
With only $21 million to work with on the salary cap this coming offseason, the Stars will need to be cautious in who they don’t re-sign. A couple of the veterans can be brought back on cheap 1-2 year deals.
This will allow the Stars to still have money to re-sign some key RFA’s like Jake Oettinger, Denis Gurianov, and Jason Robertson. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather secure our future instead of living in the past, and I would definitely prefer to have all of the above-mentioned players over one waning star defenseman.