John Klingberg contract breakdown: Signing bonuses, trade clause & more

By Mike Whitaker

Modified Jan 17, 2025 22:06 GMT

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The Edmonton Oilers have secured the services of veteran Swedish defenseman John Klingberg, who agreed to sign a one-year contract with the club to extend his NHL career.

He last played for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season but only appeared in 14 games before a hip injury ultimately cut his campaign short. Since then, he's been skating with a junior club to get himself back into game shape.

The Oilers now have another right-handed option on the blue line and an offensive-minded weapon that they can utilize on the power play; Klingberg is also known for his skating and puck-moving abilities.

Klingberg's pro-rated contract with the Oilers includes a base salary of $1 million along with a signing bonus of $350,000. His overall cap hit for this season will be $1.74 million.

The good news for the Oilers is that should Klingberg's injury troubles resurface, they aren't tied to him for the long term. Additionally, they can also package him for a potential trade if the team feels that he doesn't fit into its system. The NHL trade deadline is less than two months away.

Defenseman John Klingberg joined his fifth NHL team

A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, John Klingberg was selected by the Dallas Stars with the 131st pick in the 2010 NHL draft. He would later make his debut for Dallas in 2014-15, appearing in 65 games and scoring 11 goals with 29 assists.

He would go on to become one of the Stars' biggest offensive threats on the blue line, though his durability was often brought into question with various ailments.

Klingberg apparently rejected an opportunity to earn $7 million a year over eight seasons, which the Stars reportedly offered. He was seeking at least $8 million a season, according to reports. He decided to take his talents elsewhere ahead of the 2022-23 season, signing a one-year, $7 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks, who weren't expected to be a playoff team.

At the 2023 NHL trade deadline, he was sent to the Minnesota Wild. He then agreed to a one-year, $4.15 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-24. He has appeared in a total of 633 NHL regular season games, scoring 81 goals with 331 assists; he's also added eight goals with 31 assists in 63 postseason games.