No. 1: John Klingberg
This is the perfect player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Klingberg is a big (6-foot-3), right-handed defenseman who is a pending free agent. He fits every necessary box that Toronto needs to fill right now.
Klingberg was instrumental in helping the Dallas Stars’ reach the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago. With 21 points in 26 playoff games, Klingberg not only was a point-producer, but he ate up a ton of minutes on the blue-line.
As of right now, Justin Holl is Toronto’s second-pairing right-handed defenseman. Hmm, would you rather slot Klingberg in that spot or Holl every night beside Jake Muzzin?
That’s not even a debate and at $4.25M, the Leafs may be able to afford his services.
Clearly, there will be a ton of teams interested in Klingberg’s services, but Toronto needs to give them an offer they can’t refuse. Whether it’s a first-round pick, prospect and roster player, the Leafs need to do anything they can to get Klingberg.