Toronto Maple Leafs Lose Defenseman to the Edmonton Oilers
The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to reunite themselves with a former defenseman, however, the player has opted to sign with the Edmonton Oilers instead.
John Klingberg has been looking to make his comeback into the NHL following hip surgery, and his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have been the frontrunners to acquire him.
Toronto Maple Leafs lose John Klingberg sweepstakes.
There were numerous teams putting themselves into the running for Klingberg, including the Ottawa Senators and the Vancouver Canucks.
In fact, it seemed as though the only teams that wanted him were Canadian, which is definitely an interesting trend.
Of course, Klingberg played with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, albeit for just 14 games. Regardless, his play during that short stint had Brad Treliving seriously contemplating a signing.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, Klingberg decided to go elsewhere. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the defenseman chose the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, especially when you consider all of the teams coming out of the Western Conference.
They have been dominant as of late and there is no doubt that they have broken out of the early season slump.
Meanwhile, Klingberg brings 633 games of NHL experience to the table. He also has 412 points during that span which makes him an offensive option on the blueline.
As for the Leafs, they shouldn't be too upset about missing out on Klingberg. If they wanted a guy to be a career -40, they could just get that from Morgan Rielly every night.
Only time will tell whether or not the Maple Leafs or the Oilers come out on top of this deal.
