Very few players have more to prove next season than John Klingberg, the former top-pair defenseman who signed with the Sharks this offseason on a 1-year prove-it deal. He aims to prove to everyone that he still has what it takes to be an impact player in this league.
Klingberg, a 5th-round pick by Dallas in 2010, defied the odds to become a consistent point producer and top-pairing defenseman throughout his time in Dallas, including 21 points in 26 games during their run to the Stanley Cup final in 2020. Still, this was not enough to convince Dallas to sign him long-term, letting him walk to free agency, where he settled for a 1-year, $7 million AAV deal with the Ducks.