John Klingberg disagrees with people's assessment of his defensive game
When looking at the body of work from the Leafs' offseason signings, one player has been probably more productive than anyone had envisioned through 6 games. John Klingberg producing at nearly a point per game is something that not many saw coming, but that's exactly what has occurred, with the offensive defenseman racking up 5 points through his first 6 games.
While it would be easy to look at Klingberg's points and assume that he's exceeded expectations, that's simply not the case, as there's more to the game than just what happens on offense. Some are of the mindset that Klingberg has been a borderline nightmare in his own zone, but that's not necessarily the way Klingberg sees it.
Through 6 games, Klingberg's stat line is a bit of a mixed bag. As mentioned, he has 5 assists on the season, plays over 20 minutes per night, has 5 blocks, 5 shots on goal and 3 hits, but he's also a -2 on the season, a pair of giveaways and has had a hard time defending in transition and in front of his own net.
Klingberg is not under any false impressions about how his last few years have gone. He knows full well that his name doesn't have the same value as it once did, but he appear committed to doing whatever he can to help turn things around. He's also very grateful to be on a good team again after spending much of last year in Anaheim.
Klingberg admitted to trying to do too much at times, which he feels was a huge detriment to his game. Obviously, it's going to take more than 6 games to figure things out, but as long as Klingberg is committed to accepting feedback and making adjustments, he should be able to get back to the player he was in Dallas - and if the Leafs get that version of John Klingberg, they stand a pretty decent chance of doing some real damage this season.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 26 | 207 ANSWERS John Klingberg disagrees with people's assessment of his defensive game What do you think of Klingberg's game so far? | ||
| I've liked him a lot | 53 | 25.6 % |
| He's looked uncomfortable, but still producing | 105 | 50.7 % |
| He hasn't looked good at all | 49 | 23.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
