Toronto Maple Leafs sign John Klingberg to one-year, $4.15 million contract

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15 million contract.

Klingberg, 30, was an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of his one-year, $7 million contract that he originally signed with the Anaheim Ducks. He sees a $2.85 million drop in salary this season, and will be paid the lowest non-ELC cap hit of his NHL career. His closest cap hit comparable on the blueline is Mikey Anderson at $4.125 million.

Klingberg is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, with just 10 goals, 23 assists, and 33 points in 67 games with the Ducks and the Minnesota Wild. The only season he’s had a point total lower than that was in 2019-20 when he put up 32 points, but that came in nine fewer games as well. He also had a goal, three assists, and four points in four playoff games with the Wild as they lost in six games in the first round to the Dallas Stars, his former team.

Klingberg was a fifth-round pick of the Stars in 2010, where he spent the first eight seasons of his career. He then signed with the Ducks in 2022 after failing to maximize his profits in free agency, signing a one-year deal so that he could be dealt to a contender at the deadline, which ended up being the Wild.

The Leafs had a relatively quiet first day of free agency before signing Klingberg, as they had only signed winger Ryan Reaves to a three-year contract, and defenseman William Lagesson to a one-year deal. They have just $443,550 in cap space with only goaltender Ilya Samsonov as a restricted free agent to sign, although that doesn’t include Jake Muzzin’s $5.625 million contract on LTIR or them potentially moving Matt Murray’s $4,687,500 cap hit. Their bigger concern is signing star forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander to extensions as they enter the final year of their contracts.