Ducks trade Klingberg to Wild

The Anaheim Ducks dealt defenseman John Klingberg to the Minnesota Wild for blue-liner Andrej Sustr, a 2025 fourth-round pick, and the rights to college forward Nikita Nesterenko, the clubs announced.

The Ducks are retaining 50% of Klingberg's $7-million cap hit.

Klingberg was one of the more prominent rearguards on the market. The 30-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent who bet on himself by signing a one-year pact with Anaheim in July. He had a modified no-trade clause that allowed him to list 10 teams to which he was willing to be traded, according to CapFriendly.

The Swede produced eight goals and 16 assists while averaging a career-worst 20:52 of average ice time in 50 games with the Ducks this season. Klingberg also posted subpar underlying numbers in that span, but Anaheim is among the worst teams in the NHL.

Klingberg has a track record of success on a better squad, having topped 40 points in six of his eight campaigns with the Dallas Stars - including a 67-point effort in 2017-18 and 58 in 2015-16. The Stars drafted him 131st overall in 2010.

Sustr has spent his entire 2022-23 season in the AHL, collecting two goals and 10 assists in 39 games with the Iowa Wild. The 32-year-old defenseman is rejoining the Ducks organization after playing 23 games for Anaheim last season. Minnesota signed him as a free agent in July.

Nesterenko has 11 goals and 19 assists in 32 contests in his junior season at Boston College. The Wild selected the 21-year-old center 172nd overall in 2019.

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