John Klingberg said he is still seeking a lengthier contract and knows he has to produce after the defenseman signed for one year with the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
"I mean it's probably part of the plan, but I'm not going to look too far ahead," Klingberg said Monday. "I want to get long term at the end of the day. Right now, I'm signing (for) one year at Anaheim and we're going to have to take it from here. I can't focus on what's going to be there in one year. It has to be this season.
"Obviously, I'm going to need to have a good season and the team is going to need to have a good season as well. If the team's successful, I'm going to be successful. I had a great talk with (Ducks general manager) Pat Verbeek as well, with where we think it's going to be at with the team in the future. We're going to take this year to start off with and see where we're at."
Financial terms of the contract for Klingberg, who turns 30 on Aug. 14, were not disclosed. He had 47 points (six goals, 41 assists) in 74 regular-season games for the Dallas Stars and one assist in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games last season. He had 374 points (71 goals, 303 assists) in 552 regular-season games with the Stars, who selected him in the fifth round (No. 131) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Of those points, 148 came on the power play (39.6 percent). The Ducks were 14th in the NHL last season with the man-advantage (21.9 percent) after being ranked last in 2020-21 (8.9 percent).