Stars marquee defender decides to hit the open market next week
After months of speculation The Dallas Stars have been informed of the decision of one of their top free agents, John Klingberg, on Wednesday. It appears as though the offensive defenseman will hit the open market on July 13th.
According to Frank Seravlli, Klingberg, 29, has decided to hit the open market to see what's out there. With his strong season last year, and his excellent track record with creating offense from the back end, there should be no shortage of interest in the former 5th round pick.
In 71 games last year, Klingberg amassed 6 goals and 41 assists for a total of 47 points. Those numbers are definitely better than his last two seasons, which saw him put up 36 and 32 points respectively, albeit in less games played. Klingberg spent most of his time this year on the second pairing with Esa Lindell and has always received his fair share of time on the first power play unit.
Selected 131st overall by the Dallas Stars in 2010, it will be weird seeing Klingberg in any jersey that isn't Stars green. The only risk a team will have to take is if Klingberg pushes for a max 7-year term. If the dollar figure is a large one and 7 years is the term he's after, that could become an ugly contract awfully quickly.
This will definitely be a big loss for the Stars, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
