The John Klingberg sweepstakes are beginning to heat up, with the Edmonton Oilers “a primary target” for the free agent defenceman, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Wednesday.

Dreger was the first to report both Klingberg and the Oilers’ interest in each other on Tuesday, saying the 32-year-old was “closing in on resuming his NHL career” after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery. Klingberg last played in November 2023 for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Oilers aren’t the only team in the mix, though, as the Maple Leafs have expressed interest in the 6’3″, right-shot blue liner, and the Ottawa Senators have shown interest of their own. Up to seven teams were reportedly interested Tuesday, with Dreger today naming the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars — the team Klingberg was drafted by and spent most of his career with — as some of those teams.

Known for his ability to be a puck-moving, offensive defenceman who would consistently put up points, his game in his most recent two seasons — spent with the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and the Maple Leafs — saw his game drop off rapidly. One has to wonder if his hip issue was something that hampered him as that drop off came, as does curiosity about what kind of a player he is after the injury.

Edmonton has a need on their blue line, ideally for a right-show defenceman, so the Oilers checking in on Klingberg makes some sense. The team doesn’t have much in the way of cap space at the moment, sitting with just $482,350 open, but that’s with defenceman Josh Brown and his $1-million cap hit on the books. If he was sent back to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, it would free up the required space for the Oilers to bring Klingberg to town.

Now wouldn’t be the worst time for them to do so, either. It would create some more competition on the blue line, and allow for them to see what Klingberg has ahead of the league’s March 7th trade deadline.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.