Klingberg switches agents as the deal he’s been hoping for hasn’t come
Frank Seravalli: Unrestricted free agent defenseman John Klingberg is now represented by Newport Sports Management after he let agent Peter Wallen go.
Saad Yousuf: Klingberg has to be disappointed that he still doesn’t have a contract and when he does sign it’s likely not going to be the kind of deal he’s been trying secure for the past year.
Renaud Lavoie: When free agency opened two weeks ago, Klingberg had been looking for a seven-year deal close to $6 million per season.
A five-year rebuilding plan doesn’t appeal to Jonathan Toews
Mark Lazerus of The Athletic: Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews said he’s feeling way better than he did a year and is training for next season.
The 34-year-old is entering the last year of his contract with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. Both Toews and Patrick Kane have to see the writing on the wall that this could be their last season with the Blackhawks.
“At the end of the day, we’re talking about a five-plus-year process, according to Kyle,” Toews said. “So that part of it doesn’t sound appealing to me at all. I can’t speak for Kaner, but I definitely feel that the amount of turnover our team has gone through every single year these last three or four years, that’s where it gets really, really draining. And exhausting.
You have a guy like Alex DeBrincat who was under Kaner’s wing. And I like to think that Kirby and I had that bond in some ways, too. And out they go, out the door. Over and over, we’ve seen that turnover.
I’m learning to be more patient, but there’s no doubt that timeline is pretty daunting, and pretty exhausting to think about. So I’m not going to sit here and say what I’m going to do or what the future holds for me, because I really don’t know.”
Toews could waive his no-movement clause before the trade deadline, or he could ride out the season with the Blackhawks.
- Mark Lazerus: “He’s not mad. He’s not bitter. He’s not whining. As I wrote, he actually sounds excited about the season, his health, Luke Richardson. He’s just being honest about the whole situation. He sees what we all see.”