The Columbus Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] have decisions to make on defense. They have Werenski, Provorov, Severson, Fabbro, and Mateychuk on the books and returning, barring any trades. That leaves little wiggle room for any free agents or young guys to get promoted from Cleveland. Corson Ceulemans could make a major push for the big club next season, along with Guillaume Richard, but if I had to guess between the two, it would be Ceulemans. But should the CBJ decide to go the free agent route, they'll need to bring in a veteran with experience. Today, that player we talk about is John Klingberg. Target: John Klingberg - Defense - 34 Years Old - 12 Years of Experience Klingberg was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Draft. After his time in Dallas, he signed with Anaheim in 2022. Since then, he's been with a different club every season. He went from the Ducks to the Wild in a trade on March 3, 2023. He then signed in Toronto in 2023, Edmonton in 2024, and then last season with San Jose. Stats - 10g-17a-27 points. Klingberg played 56 games for the Sharks last season and totaled 27 points on an upstart Sharks squad. He is averaging 22 minutes of ice time per game for his career, even at his age. Last season, he was 20:28, so not bad. He brings 43 games of playoff experience as well but has yet to win a Stanley Cup. He did play for Dallas and Edmonton in two Stanley Cup Final appearance. For his career, he has 43 points in 82 playoff games. For his career, he's averaging 53 points per 82 games played. Previous Contract Klingberg just finished a one-year deal with San Jose that paid him $4,000,000. His last four seasons have been one-year contracts, so this could be an easy get for GM Don Waddell. Realistic Chances Of A Signing: Luke-Warm John Klingberg could actually be a great signing for the Blue Jackets, but sadly, I just don't see him coming to Columbus. I say that fully knowing that he just signed with a rebuilding team last year, but he was signing to play with Celebrini, or at least that's my guess. This Columbus team is coached by Rick Bowness, and Klingberg played for Bowness from 2019 to 2022. He had some good years playing for Bowness,too, so this isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and never miss a story. Let us know what you think below. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
