The NHL Redux: The rise of Klingberg

Picture Jim Nill, exploding with ideas and intent, after being handed the controls of a professional hockey club for the first time in his managerial career.

He makes it look easy.

He sees Valeri Nichushkin tumble to No. 10 at the draft, and a few weeks later, the Dallas Stars architect scores blossoming star Tyler Seguin. He'll pair him with future Art Ross winner Jamie Benn to form the NHL's greatest attacking duo, somewhere down the line.

Then he gets a call. The unsure voice on the other end is the top defensive prospect inherited from the previous regime, who, though wary of the risks associated with a poor first impression, requests to stay in Sweden for the season so he can continue developing at his boyhood club.

This wasn't devastating news from an organizational standpoint, though an alternative response could've been. Nill would oblige, importantly, and perhaps at that moment he was reminded it wouldn't always be this easy.

The ghost

The following fall, after taking big minutes and recouping important development lost to injuries suffered previously as an underweight blue-liner in Sweden's top division, John Klingberg settled in Texas.

He needed 13 appearances in an AHL uniform to make the team's previous rover, Sergei Gonchar, expendable. Before he could pack his gear and trek back to Sweden for the summer after a sensational rookie season, Nill ensured the former 131st overall selection would return for the next seven Septembers, signing him to a lucrative long-term extension 65 games into his NHL career.

"I didn't expect that," Klingberg admitted in an interview with theScore. "That's been a bonus, of course. I'm really happy for that."

He added, "I just want to be better, to develop every day, and be the defenseman Dallas wants me to be."

Which is the defenseman every team wants.

Klingberg, with more than a full 82-game season accrued, is contributing at a point-per-game clip through 27 games and generating early-season Norris buzz as the engine running Dallas' incomparable attacking offense.

Even more impressive, he's doing it while still learning the position.

In his shadow

It wasn't without pushback, but Klingberg took the advice of countless hockey dads (and his granddad's, too) when he agreed to shift from forward to the blue line in his mid-teens.

The impetus behind the family decision was Klingberg's size - he'd be lucky to tilt the scales at 150 pounds then - and more specifically, a tendency to see his offensive skills neutralized by physical defenders.

He had the resources to abruptly forge a new path, being a member of the Frolunda academy in his hometown of Gothenburg. But the quick study had another competitive advantage in helping him reach Sweden's pro ranks just a few years after taking on an entirely new role on the ice.

Erik Karlsson, the prototypical defenseman in today's game, was under the same developmental banner and climbed to the NHL in a stratum situated a rung or two above that of Klingberg.

He became a mentor, of sorts, despite the fact the two didn't (and still don't) really share a personal relationship.

"I've seen him grow from a little kid there on the ice to probably the best defenseman in the world," Klingberg said. "Of course that's been great for me, watching him play a lot when he was young, and now seeing where he is today."

Now he might be the only defenseman in his way.

Karlsson is the solo blue-liner with more points than Klingberg this season. It's the measurement, at least recently, that weighs the most in the minds of Norris Trophy voters.

But while he's off on his own, dominating on most nights, don't think Klingberg isn't still watching, learning, and measuring himself against the Ottawa Senators captain.

Stars coach Lindy Ruff was quoted saying that if the two swapped colors, he wouldn't be able to tell which Swede was which. When asked about it, Klingberg didn't pat himself on the back.

Rather, he continued to beat himself up over what may have been his worst outing of the season: the head-to-head matchup with Karlsson in which he finished with a minus-3 rating after committing two egregious turnovers that led to goals.

"That's fun to hear, but I didn't have my best game when we played them," Klingberg said.

"I'm going to have to be better next time."

THE TEN

10. Jonathan Bernier: It was the AHL, sure, but imagine if instead of two shutouts, he had his doors blown off again. It was a very important weekend for his career.

9. Daniel Carr: What a dream debut shift for the Canadiens rookie, scoring a goal with his first recorded shot. He was solid throughout, and Montreal might have won that game if he wasn't only sparingly used.

8. Justin Faulk: Faulk recorded his ninth power-play goal of the season this week, which is three times as many as any other defenseman in the East. He might not miss another All-Star Game, as long as every club has to be represented.

7. Anders Nilsson: The Oilers' No. 1 (we should be comfortable saying that) isn't coming out of the crease. He made 112 saves this week, winning three times.

6. Johnny Gaudreau: It's frightening to think where the Flames would be without Gaudreau. They needed each one of his four goals and five points to claim three points this week.

5. Shea Weber and Roman Josi: The aforementioned Faulk would lead all D units in goals with the man up himself if it weren't for the Preds' bombers. Weber and Josi combined for 14 points this week.

4. Los Angeles Kings: Their goal differential is unspectacular, but no team protects their net better. The Kings have allowed a league-low 55 goals and are riding a league-best four-game win streak.

3. Mike Cammalleri: The old offensive wiz made a brief cameo in the league's top five scorers this week after a third straight multi-point effort.

2. Mike Hoffman: Is there a sniper playing at a higher level right now? With six goals over his last five games, Hoffman trails only Jamie Benn in goals per game.

1. Patrick Kane: This has been his list for seven weeks and counting.

THE TAKES

1. If Paul Maurice hadn't established himself as the best quote among NHL coaches, this subtle, wonderful jab at Bryan Bickell should've done the trick.

2. Who says you can't collect your own puck?

Good on Flyers defenseman Evgeny Medvedev, at age 33, for wanting his keepsake.

3. A visual representation of John Gibson's career arch would be hard on the eyes ...

... but from here on in, it might just be linear.

4. The outdoor game planned for the upcoming World Junior Championship sounds like a great idea for everyone, except for the top prospect who catches a rut and has no insurance on his playing career.

5. USA Hockey's 2016 roster figures to be mighty ...

... even without the likes of Jeremy Bracco, Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, and Conor Garland.

6. Phil Kessel should never lose a foot race to Milan Lucic. Not even at the end of a 65-second shift.

7. Colton Parayko and Kyle Turris might be partially elastic.

8. Tim Peel should have been umpire.

9. Thank you, Leafs, for loaning William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen to the World Junior tourney.

10. Goodbye, Alex Semin.