SENSNEWS

It’s no secret that Senators’ GM and POHO Steve Staios has been working on adding pieces to his NHL lineup.

We have already heard that the team is looking to add a right-shot defenseman, and a new name to consider has emerged.

John Klingberg To Ottawa Senators?

In what was a bit of a surprise, John Klingberg is approaching a return to the NHL after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery.

The hope is that, with the time Klingberg has had to recover, he can get closer to the level he once played at with the Dallas Stars.

The news broke on Tuesday morning when Darren Dreger announced that the defenseman was close to returning to the NHL.

Ottawa was one of the three teams mentioned by Dreger, along with Toronto and Edmonton, but there are also others in the mix not publicly listed.

Dreger Announces Klingberg

Dreger went on to mention that a decision from Klingberg’s camp is expected within the next two weeks.

Will he end up in Ottawa? Who knows. But what we can discuss for now is if, and how much, sense this move would make.

At first glance, I would not be over the moon about this addition to the Senators. Klingberg has always been an offensive defenseman who leaves a lot to be desired in his own end.

For the Senators, that doesn’t seem like the perfect fit on their blue line. In an ideal situation, he would be positioned on the bottom pair, behind the likes of Artem Zub and Nick Jensen.

When it comes to a bottom-pair defender, it’s hard to argue for Klingberg being the right stylistic fit.

It’s not very often that successful teams opt for a defensively weak bottom-pair defender—especially one who struggled so much during his last stint in the NHL.

Ottawa’s RD Depth Chart

Right now, the Senators have Travis Hamonic, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Nickolas Matinpalo, who have been rotating with Tyler Kleven on the bottom pair.

Aside from Hamonic, it’s hard to argue that Klingberg is a definitive upgrade over either of the other two players.

Some may remember that Klingberg’s most recent stint in the NHL was with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2023 season. He had just five points in 14 games and was, to put it bluntly, a defensive liability.

John Klingberg’s Recent Stats

In terms of xGF%, Klingberg ranked third-last (of 15) among all defenders who played with the Leafs in the 2023-2024 season. He posted just a 42.69 xGF%, although his CF% was slightly positive at just above 51%.

What these numbers tell us is that, while Klingberg’s possession numbers were decent, the high-danger chances against when he was on the ice were high.

That’s not something the Senators would like to see from their bottom pair. And although advanced stats don’t always tell the full story, it’s rare for effective players on good teams to have poor analytical results in terms of expected goals.

The hope with Klingberg is that this hip surgery will help him get back to an effective level we’ve seen from him before.

He was once a dominant offensive defenseman in Dallas, but it has been a long time since we’ve seen him perform anywhere near that level.

Can He Turn Things Around?

The potential for Klingberg to turn his career around is certainly there, but that’s a lot of faith to place in one surgery.

Let’s not forget that Sens fans were having the same conversation about Joonas Korpisalo after he signed his five-year deal.

If the Senators were to sign Klingberg, the contract would likely be right around the league minimum.

In terms of risk, there isn’t much. Aside from the limited financial commitment and the roster spot, Klingberg isn’t going to handicap the team if he signs in Ottawa.

But for the Senators, this isn’t the solution in my eyes. After all, we know the team is still interested in acquiring a top-four right-shot defender, likely to provide a backup plan if/when one of Jensen or Zub is injured.

If they are still looking for a right-shot defender, all it will do is push everyone down the lineup one more spot.

With JBD, Hamonic, and Matinpalo already competing for that third spot, I don’t see the need or benefit of signing Klingberg and further adding to the logjam.

Time will tell what the Senators decide to do. If the Senators do sign Klingberg, I hope he proves me wrong! But if not, I’m not going to lose sleep over this one.