“He’s got to look out for himself too” – Dallas Stars would ‘love’ to keep John Klingberg ahead post current season too

“He’s got to look out for himself too” – Dallas Stars would ‘love’ to keep John Klingberg ahead post current season too

John Klingberg

Swedish ice hockey defenceman John Klingberg might become an unrestricted free agent ahead of the next National Hockey League (NHL) season. However, the Dallas Stars would like to sign the 29-year-year after the current edition.

Klingberg is in the final season of a seven-year contract he signed in April 2015. Signed by the Stars in the fifth round (No. 131) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Klingberg has 374 points (71 goals, 303 assists) in 552 regular-season games and 35 points (seven goals, 28 assists) in 55 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

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“Oh, I’d love to keep him,” general manager Jim Nill said ahead of the Stars’ 4-2 win against the Calgary Flames in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Notably, Dallas currently leads the best-of-seven series 2-1 and will host Game 4 on Monday.

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“But he’s got to look out for himself too, so I fully understand that. So we’ll see if we can figure something out.”

“Don’t feel that I’ve been appreciated” 

John Klingberg
John Klingberg

The Gothenburg native John stated that in January he felt underappreciated by the Stars and was frustrated by the lack of contract talks with them at that time.

“Other guys have signed right before the season before. I wanted to do that as well,” Klingberg said after a 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 8, as quoted by NHL.com. “Lately it has been going more quietly and quietly. For me, as a player, I don’t feel that I’ve been appreciated in that way when we don’t even negotiate. It’s quiet.

“For me, as a player, my agent, we talked to Jim a couple of months back. He agreed that we could start talking with other GMs and see where we were at. Negotiation-wise, the Stars have been very quiet.”

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