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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.

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.

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.