John Klingberg went into this offseason as an unrestricted free agent hoping to get the best possible contract he could. He turned down a reported 8-year deal with an annual cap hit of $7 million earlier in the season from the Dallas Stars. Klingberg and his agent believed he could get 7 years at $8.5 million per season on the open market, which is a big ask for a 29-year-old. It ended up being a huge gamble that completely backfired. Klingberg ended up firing his agent and settling on a 1-year $7 million contract with the Anaheim Ducks. But it turns out that may not have been the only offer Klingberg received.
The Ottawa Senators completely re-vamped their team this off-season. They brought in Alex Debrincat, Cam Talbot, and Claude Giroux. The only thing missing was adding a big name defenceman and apparently they may have offered Klingberg a 4-year deal, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch.
The Ottawa Senators still have about $7.5 million in cap space for this year, so they could've made it work. However it seems as though Klingberg wants to try to cash in again next summer. There is also a chance with a one-year contract that Klingberg can be traded to a contender later on this season. He would be an attractive asset come the trade deadline. Only time will tell if it was smart of Klingberg to pick Anaheim.
