New Sharks defenseman embraces his ‘new normal.’ What exactly will that be?

SAN JOSE – When the Sharks signed veteran defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year, $4 million contract in July, there was little risk involved.

The Sharks thought that if Klingberg, 33, could recapture some or most of the form he showed earlier in his career and be a force from the back end, he could no doubt help the Sharks win more games, stay in the mix for a playoff spot, and perhaps even be signed to an extension.

If the Sharks are not in contention for the playoffs later this season when the trade deadline rolls around, and Klingberg stays healthy, the option to deal him to a contender for an asset is also available. Klingberg has a full no-trade clause through Jan. 30 before a 14-team no-trade list begins.

Either way would be beneficial to Klingberg and the Sharks.

“In a perfect world, this team takes a step, and I take a step, and if they feel like I can be a good piece moving forward, I’m happy and open to that,” Klingberg said of extending in San Jose. “And if it goes the other way around, that’s just hockey and how the sport goes, and we’ll see.

“But that’s not on my mind right now. I’m here to really help this team and help myself and take it from there.”

The Sharks are excited about the possibilities.

At his peak with the Dallas Stars from 2016 to 2022, Klingberg was an elite puck mover and power play quarterback who averaged just over 23 minutes per game. In that time, Klingberg was ninth among all NHL defensemen with 276 points and eighth with 114 power-play points.

In 2020, Klingberg had 21 points in 26 playoff games, and he and the Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. During that run, he averaged 23:20 in ice time per game and was used heavily in both even-strength and power-play situations.

Can he come close to that again in San Jose?

“Everyone just thinks, ‘OK, he’s a power play guy. He does this and that really well,’” Klingberg said. “But for me, I feel like when I’m playing my best. I take care of the 5-on-5 play, I break out the puck, defend well, and don’t spend too much time in my d-zone.

“You can’t start with feeling good on the power play. You’ve got to feel good 5-on-5, and you feel good on the power play, not the opposite.”

Injuries, though, have been a recurring theme in Klingberg’s career: He needed hip surgeries when he was 18 and 21, and after years of discomfort and stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs, had resurfacing surgery on both hips in December 2023.

Klingberg signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers in January, and his first game with the team on Jan. 30 was his first in 440 days. He played 19 games in the Oilers’ second straight run to the Cup Final, where they again lost to the Florida Panthers.

Klingberg said health-wise, close to two years after surgery, his body is “a work in progress. I feel like it’s getting better and better. I move a lot better than in the past, and it’s a lot less painful now. A lot of it is starting to get used to the new normal.”

Klingberg missed a few days of camp last week after he said he sustained “probably a little bit of a concussion” in the Sharks’ preseason opener on Sept. 21 against the Golden Knights. He skated with the group on Monday and was paired with Nick Leddy during rushes, but was held out of some contact drills.

“He’s moving a lot better than he has in the past, even through the playoffs last year,” Warsofsky said of Klingberg. “So we’ll see how it plays out. We believe that he can help us in the back end, score and transport pucks, and when we’re down a goal, you’ll probably see more of him.

“We have Leddy that kind of balances him out.”

Warsofsky said his plan, as of now, assuming everyone stays healthy, is to pair Klingberg with Leddy for the start of the regular season. Leddy, who the Sharks claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues in July, has also been a minute muncher throughout his 15-year NHL career.

The two will likely get at least one more preseason game together. The Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, then travel to face the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Klingberg said he’ll be ready to play in the Sharks’ season-opener on Oct. 9 at home against Vegas.

“You earn the minutes you get,” Klingberg said. “Like I said, if I play well, I’m going to help the team. If the team plays well, that’s going to help me. It goes hand in hand. I know what role I’m going to have. I know what they’re expecting. I know what to expect from myself, too, so I think this could be a really good fit.”

CELEBRINI UPDATE: Sharks center Macklin Celebrini practiced Monday but was again held out of contact drills, doing skill work at the other end of the ice. Warsofsky said over the weekend that the plan is to have Celebrini be a full participant in practice and get him into a preseason game before the end of the week.