The Toronto Maple Leafs are favorites to sign former All-Star defenseman John Klingberg, according to Darren Dreger.

Injuries usually pile up as a season progresses, which has been the case for the Maple Leafs — especially on the backend. Veteran defensemen Jake McCabe (upper body) and Jani Hakanpaa (knee) are currently on injured reserve, meaning it wouldn't be shocking if general manager Brad Treliving wanted to add another defender shortly.

The 32-year-old right-shot defenceman has not played since being placed on long-term injured reserve on November 23, 2023. Klingberg played 14 games last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before being shut down for the remainder of the season following bilateral hip surgery.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly expressed interest in former Leaf John Klingberg. The Swedish defenceman hasn’t played an NHL game in over a year.

NHL insider Darren Dreger offered an optimistic update during an appearance on FirstUp 1050 on Monday, noting that Stolarz might return to game action in late January or early February.

Klingberg hasn't played an NHL game since being in the lineup for Toronto vs. the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 11, 2023.

The Leafs' pool has taken a hit in both quality and quantity after trading away many draft picks over the years.

Despite the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs already tried the John Klingberg experiment, reports surfaced on Tuesday that the organization might be looking to run it back.

My Leafs analysis The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off back-to-back losses to Carolina and Vancouver, two playoff-worthy opponents, and have another top team in their way tonight in the Dallas Stars, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Goalie: Belfour's stint with the Maple Leafs was impactful even though it lasted just three seasons (2002-03 to 2005-06). He had 17 shutouts, most of any Toronto goalie in the quarter century. He's also second in wins since 2000 with 93, trailing only Frederik Andersen (149), who played 98 more games.

The former Wild defender John Klingberg wants to make a return to the NHL, reports say. According to Darren Dreger, Klingberg wants to make a return after recovering from hip resurfacing surgery that he had in 2023.