Tavares just reached the 20-goal mark for the 15th time in his NHL career. Does the Leafs center get enough credit for his ability to score? Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman John Klingberg is reportedly headed to the Edmonton Oilers. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman had the scoop on Friday afternoon, posting to X that the 32-year-old would be joining the Oilers after recovering from hip resurfacing surgery done in late 2023. A short time later, the Oilers announced it themselves, saying they'd signed the defenseman to a one-year contract. According to TSN's Darren Dreger [https://x.com/DarrenDreger/status/1880343635964883297], the deal is worth $1 million and $350,000 in bonuses. Klingberg played 14 games with the Maple Leafs in 2023 after signing a one-year, $4.15 million contract. He registered five assists and averaged 20:33 of ice time on Toronto's blue line. As the defenseman recovered from surgery, he began skating with a junior team, signalling a return to the NHL was near. Patrick Kane is another player who underwent hip resurfacing surgery and made a return to the league. (Kane has scored 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 points in 89 games since returning from hip surgery.) Klingberg is set to join an Oilers team that's in pursuit of returning to the Stanley Cup Finals after losing to the Florida Panthers there last spring. Klingberg enters a defense core already with Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, Brett Kulak, Troy Stecher, and Ty Emberson. Edmonton has the ninth-least goals against in the NHL this season with 123 through 45 games played. They sit second in the Pacific Division with 61 points, behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who also have 61 points, but have the tie-breaker. Toronto was reportedly one of the several teams in the mix for Klingberg's services, however, the defenseman chose Edmonton, a place where a lot of former Maple Leafs go to play. Klingberg has played 633 NHL games throughout his NHL career. He's scored 81 goals and 331 assists for 412 points in that span, split between the Maple Leafs, Ducks, Wild, and Dallas Stars. Toronto plays in Edmonton on Feb. 1 during their Western Canadian road trip. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs 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/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
