San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has signed defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4M contract.
Klingberg, 32, is an 11-year NHL veteran who has appeared in 644 games with the Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers and posting 416 points (82 goals, 334 assists).
Last season, he appeared in 11 regular season games with Edmonton, scoring four points (one goal, three assists) and in 19 of the Oilers 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including four in the Stanley Cup Final.
Klingberg spent the first eight seasons of his career in Dallas, where he was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2015. He was named to the NHL All-Star Team in 2018, when he scored a career-high 67 points (eight goals, 59 assists) and has twice finished sixth overall in Norris Trophy voting (2016, 2018) as the NHL’s best defenseman.
He has appeared in 82 Stanley Cup Playoff games, collecting 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) and 50 penalty minutes. During the Stars’ first-round match-up against the Nashville Predators in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, Klingberg scored the series-winning overtime goal in Game Six. In the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Klingberg finished third amongst all defensemen in scoring, posting 21 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 26 games.
Klingberg has regularly represented his native country of Sweden, including at the World Championships in 2015, 2017 (gold), 2018 (gold), and 2019. He was named the tournament’s top defenseman in 2018. Klingberg also played for Sweden at the 2011 and 2012 World Junior Championships, winning gold in 2012.
The six-foot-two, 185-pound native of Gothenburg, Sweden was originally selected by Dallas in the fifth round (131st overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft.