Sharks’ Warsofsky explains what he needs to see from struggling Klingberg

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have rotated several of their defensemen in and out of the lineup all season long, and now it appears that veteran John Klingberg – after a rough few games – will become the latest blueliner to take a seat. Coming off back-to-back losses, the Sharks once again appear set to shake up their crowded defense corps, and indications were that Klingberg would be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday when San Jose hosts the Utah Mammoth. Klingberg’s play has been inconsistent at best in recent games, as he was a combined -4 with two giveaways in Sharks losses to the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken last week that wrapped up a 1-2-0 road trip. Klingberg has also run the point on the Sharks’ first power play unit, with the team mired in a 3-for-32 slump with the man advantage over the last 11 games. “I think it’s pretty clear,” Klingberg said of the message he received from the Sharks’ coaching staff. “It’s up to me to play (well).” Klingberg, now in his 12th NHL season, was signed to a one-year, $3 million contract on July 1, partly to bolster a Sharks power play that finished 26th in the NHL last season at 18.6%. In 657 career NHL games, Klingberg has 23 goals and 140 assists with the man advantage. Klingberg has five points, including two power-play goals, in 13 games this season, and is averaging 21:04 in ice time. But in Monday’s practice, Klingberg watched as Dmitry Orlov ran the point on the first power play unit with rookie defenseman Sam Dickinson on the second. When Klingberg was out of the lineup from Oct. 17-26, the Sharks’ power play, with Orlov at the helm, went 6-for-19 in six games. While other factors have been at play this season, the Sharks, after 19 games, are now 19th in the NHL on the power play, with an 18.8% success rate. “I wouldn’t really say it’s totally the power play,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said when asked about Klingberg. “I think there’s better hockey in him 5-on-5, and we’re going to keep getting to it, and (we have) a lot of defensemen. So, there’ll be some changes.” “I think just have a little bit better puck play,” Klingberg said of his own game. “Be more consistent with the puck.” Saturday, on Seattle’s first goal, which came at even strength, Orlov got caught in the neutral zone as Chandler Stephenson poked the puck ahead to himself. He then got around Klingberg inside the blue line and sent a pass across the slot to Jaden Schwartz, who got behind Macklin Celebrini and guided the puck into the net behind goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. The Sharks were the better team for large portions of Saturday’s game, but that miscue and another by Shakir Mukhamadullin proved to be too much for them to overcome. “It happens fast,” Klingberg said of the play. “It’s a little bit of a breakdown on our 1-1-3 (system), so I have to go out towards the boards. But at the same time, I can’t let (Stephenson) go behind me.” Klingberg‘s lower-body injury that forced him out of the lineup for close to two weeks last month, but said Monday he feels fine physically, and indicated previously that his health issues had nothing to do with the double hip resurfacing surgery he had in Dec. 2023. It’s just a matter of playing better within the Sharks’ structure. “I think with (Klingberg), there’s a process of where we need to get him to play the way we want to play,” Warsofsky said. “It’s new to him, which I understand, and in the systems and whatnot. Then, obviously, coming back from the health issues. “With what type of defenseman he is, there’s a risk and reward, and a lot of teams have those types of players. But you have to get the reward, and we really haven’t got a lot of that. Will we get that at some point? I think we will. I think he’s got the ability. We’ve seen that in his career, but we need him to kind of just have a little bit of a reset here.” It also appears that Timothy Liljegren will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, with Dickinson re-entering the lineup, as the Sharks try to keep everyone fresh. “We want to keep guys in the mix here a little bit, not let guys sit out for a while,” Warsofsky said. “We’ll see what (Tuesday) brings, but I know (Klingberg) knows he can play better, as we do.” “It’s the same for everyone,” Klingberg said of being a scratch. “You play your best team. If this is what they want to do, I’m still part of the team. I’m going to work my butt off to get back to the lineup and help this team win. That’s just how it works.”