UFA Update: John Klingberg and Which Teams Are Interested

John Klingberg is arguably one of the biggest names still out there on the UFA market. He’s certainly the biggest-named defenseman that could be signed by one of many teams looking for a power play quarterback and minute-munching offensively-skilled blueliner. The Dallas Stars have seemingly moved on and Klingberg is looking to cash in, both in terms of the right opportunity and the right terms.

The Seattle Kraken were rumored to be a potential fit. Talk of their interest in making a couple of splashes in free agency go back months and Klingberg was rumored to be among the biggest. That said, the market on Klingberg, at least from a Kraken perspective, has dried up a little and while he could certainly still wind up there, that he hasn’t already signed with Seattle could be telling.

John Klingberg is the top UFA D on the market Wednesday. Long list of teams will be calling, and I think the Seattle Kraken will be among the serious suitors. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 11, 2022

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators are rumored to be on the lookout for a defenseman as the one thing they feel they still need to do is improve their blue line. GM Pierre Dorion did a lot of solid things for this team over the past week, highlighted by the trades for Alex DeBrincat and Cam Talbot, plus the signing of Claude Giroux. Adding Klingberg might be icing on the cake for a club that is starting to make a move towards becoming a playoff team.

Don’t rule out the Detroit Red Wings. GM Steve Yzerman has been active and he still has plenty of cap space with which to play in free agency. Their blue line includes some solid up-and-coming talent, but Klingberg would be given a heavy responsibility and it could be the right fit for him.

Where will Klingberg wind up? Is there another team no one is talking about that could come out of nowhere, kind of like the Columbus Blue Jackets did when they landed Johnny Gaudreau. The trick is looking at teams with cap space, that is unless Klingberg is willing to sign a low-cost, one-year deal with a team that could provide an opportunity to dramatically elevate his numbers and lead to teams lining up for his services next summer.

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