Someone in the Leafs organization really wants to believe in a good comeback story. Matt Murray is presently living out his attempt to return to the NHL, with some success at the AHL level that hasn’t translated to NHL success, and now the Leafs are contemplating round two of John Klingberg to see if a newly shaved hip can revitalize his career. With the Leafs viewed as frontrunners for landing Klingberg’s service it is worth pointing out why that is a bad idea.
Two summers ago the Leafs missed out on Mathew Dumba by coming up a bit short on the contract off. That was a bullet dodged but in dodging that bullet the Maple Leafs put themselves in the clear path of another bullet named John Klingberg.
It wasn’t a matter of hindsight being required, the Klingberg signing was always puzzling. Despite the Leafs needing a right handed shot on their blueline, the idea of bringing in a less defensive, worse skating version of Morgan Rielly didn’t add up, especially since Klingberg’s time in Anaheim and his final year in Dallas provided numerous red flags. The $4.15M cap hit was certainly the most puzzling aspect of it and while only a one year commitment, it was pretty clear that even after Klingberg was LTIR’d, the Leafs getting wrong prevented the team from addressing their blueline needs properly last season.
This time expectations and salary would likely be right sized for John Klingberg. There is no longer an expectation that he is challenging for time on the top powerplay unit or seeing time in the top four. Bringing in Klingberg is an attempt at getting some upside beyond what Toronto has in Conor Timmins and potentially someone who can platoon with Philippe Myers on a healthy Leafs blueline. He potentially addresses the need for some puck movement from the backend although in sheltered situations. There is also little reason to believe he’d cost more than the league minimum. The situation seems better but it is still hard to imagine that the pros outweigh the cons in this regard, and doesn’t address what the Leafs most on their blueline and that is someone who can comfortably fit a 4D role potentially pushing someone down in the lineup, not another platooning option for the bottom pairing and doesn’t address the notable gap the Leafs experience when one of their current top four defencemen are out injured.
There are a couple of other factors that are worth remembering too. One of those is the potential partner for John Klingberg, Simon Benoit. Benoit and Klingberg did not have a good time together in Anaheim. Brad Treliving would certainly disagree with that, but the numbers don’t and a potential reunion of a pairing that had a 38% goals for percentage while on the Ducks in just under 300 minutes together is a tough sell. The Leafs might not be the Ducks but at times their defence looks like it could be lottery team.
Another factor is the Leafs already have an option very similar to rehabilitating John Klingberg that they haven’t explored. Matt Benning is a player that can likely deliver at the same level as John Klingberg who is not likely to make it back to his prime performance levels:
Stat comparison from 2021-22 to 2023-24:
| 5v5 Stats | John Klingberg | Matt Benning |
| GP | 155 | 156 |
| ATOI | 17.28 | 14.74 |
| Points | 44 | 33 |
| CF/60 | 56.20 | 49.75 |
| CA/60 | 63.70 | 57.52 |
| CF% | 46.87 | 46.38 |
| GF/60 | 2.40 | 1.98 |
| GA/60 | 3.25 | 3.10 |
| GF% | 42.46 | 38.97 |
| xGF/60 | 2.66 | 2.37 |
| xGA/60 | 3.23 | 2.55 |
| xGF% | 45.13 | 48.14 |
| PDO | 0.99 | 0.98 |
| Off Zone Start% | 56.83 | 23.44 |
The advantage goes to Klingberg on the offensive side of things compared to Benning and both players aided by a strong season being included, Benning’s final year in Nashville and Klingberg’s 2021-22 season in Dallas. Klingberg’s numbers are stronger offensively, while Benning is stronger defensively, and given the likely depth nature of the role, a defensive approach with conservative puck movement might be the better strategy.
There are arguments made for Klingberg being a low-risk option and as such he’s worth pursuing. That’s fair. It should be noted that low risk doesn’t equal no risk and while the consensus is probably that the Leafs want to move on from Conor Timmins in their bottom pairing, whether Klingberg is the best fit remains to be seen. The deployment of Klingberg may also be concerning. Mike van Ryn has demonstrated an affinity towards offensively bold puckmovers in his usage of Timmins and previously during his time in St. Louis by leaning heavily on Justin Faulk and Torey Krug. Even if Klingberg isn’t great, will there be a tendency by this coaching staff to over use him based on assumed need?
Based on the fact that Darren Dreger has reported 5-7 teams being interested in Klingberg, his comeback will happen. The Leafs shutting the door on him wouldn’t be ending his career, so there is no need to take this as advocacy for Klingberg hanging up his skates. This is more a case of the Leafs need to look at a solid option rather than a mystery box to address their pressing defensive issues. And it is ask of Brad Treliving and Craig Berube to look at their lineup and ask themselves if Klingberg makes any sense paired with Rielly, Ekman-Larsson, or Benoit. My answer would be no and as such, the answer should probably be no to Klingberg comeback tour in Toronto.