John Klingberg hopes to resume NHL career

The veteran NHL defenseman hasn’t played in more than 400 days since his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but is looking to get back on the ice.

“Sometime right after Christmas, he will resume skating with a junior team,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday Headlines on Hockey night in Canada. “Now he’s had the hip surgery that Patrick Kane did, he’s skating with the same people that brought Kane back and he wants to resume his career.”

Klingberg appeared in just 14 games with the Leafs before being placed on long-term injured reserve. He signed a one-year, $4.15 million contract in free agency to add more offense from the blue line, but struggled through the first two months of the season – with four assists and a minus-7 rating.

The Swedish defender has had problems with his hip before he underwent double hip surgery in 2014.

As for when he could see himself in a position to sign with a team, Friedman explained that it could be sometime soon.

“He’s looking to potentially join a team after Christmas, probably closer to the end of January,” Friedman adds. “But he will first join a junior team to skate and hope to get back to the NHL.”

News of Klingberg’s potential comeback comes just days after Matt Murray played his first NHL game in 629 games after dealing with double hip surgery.