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Calle Jarnkrok

Maple Leafs Place John Klingberg On LTIR, Recall Alex Steeves

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve and recalled forward Alex Steeves from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Klingberg’s LTIR assignment has been much anticipated, as the defender’s undisclosed injury grew from a small concern, to something that would hold him out of all action this week, to an LTIR designation.

Klingberg is in his first season with the Leafs, signing a one-year, $4.2MM contract with the team on July 1st. He’s performed modestly in his first 14 games with the club, netting five points, eight penalty minutes, and a -7.

Klingberg has moved around a lot in recent years, after spending the first eight years of his career with the Dallas Stars. He signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Anaheim Ducks ahead of last season and appeared in 50 games with the club, netting 24 points and a -28. Anaheim didn’t stick out the contract, though, dealing him to the Minnesota Wild at last year’s Trade Deadline. Klingberg went on to play in 17 games and record nine points, in Minnesota – adding four points in four playoff games as well.

With the veteran defender on IR, Toronto brings up the Marlies’ leading scorer in Steeves. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points in 14 AHL games this season, a tally that ties him for third in the league in points. Steeves has played three NHL games in each of the last two seasons, totaling one point across the matchups.

Steeves provides depth for Calle Jarnkrok, who is slated to be a game-time decision for the team’s Friday matchup. Jarnkrok is dealing with a lower-body injury after taking an Auston Matthews shot to the leg.

Maple Leafs Injuries: Timmins, Klingberg, Jarnkrok

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David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters this morning that defenseman Conor Timmins has a significant lower-body injury and is out week to week. Keefe didn’t elaborate on the nature of the injury but given his comments, it is likely that the 25-year-old rearguard will miss the first week of the NHL regular season.

Timmins came over to the Maple Leafs last year in a mid-season trade with the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Curtis Douglas. He fit in nicely on Toronto’s back end and added an element of offense posting two goals and 12 assists in 25 games with the Maple Leafs. He was having a fantastic training camp with six points in just three preseason games for Toronto prior to being injured Friday night in a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.

In other Maple Leafs injury notes:

  • TSN is reporting that Keefe spoke to reporters about injured defenseman John Klingberg saying that the 31-year-old is dealing with a minor injury and wouldn’t skate today with the team. Keefe went on to add that he doesn’t expect that native of Gothenburg, Sweden to be out long term. What long-term means is vague at this point, Klingberg has been off the ice for five days now after suffering the unknown ailment last Wednesday in a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres.
  • Toronto Sun reporter Terry Koshan tweeted that Calle Jarnkrok will skate with the Maple Leafs second group at practice today after returning to training camp over the weekend. The 32-year-old is expected to play later this week for the first time in this year’s preseason. Jarnkrok has been dealing with an undisclosed injury that came up during training camp and is expected to be back before the regular season begins. Jarnkrok had a career-high 20 goals and 19 assists in 73 games last season, his first with Toronto.

East Snapshots: Edmundson, Jarnkrok, Cross

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Earlier this morning, it was reported that the new Washington Capitals’ defenseman, Joel Edmundson, would not partake in team activities after suffering an injury during a team scrimmage. Unfortunately for both he and the team, Stephen Whyno of AP, is reporting that Edmundson’s prognosis is not good, but it was not similar to the injury that kept him out of the lineup for all of February last season.

Hoping for a rebound season during his arrival in Washington, Edmundon’s last season in Montreal was one of, if not the worst of his career. In 61 games played, Edmundson would score two goals and 11 assists, posting career lows in plus/minus, CF%, and oiSV%. Still averaging almost 20 minutes a game for the Canadiens, Edmundson looked like a completely different player than the one Montreal had during the 2020-21 season.

Given the current makeup of Washington’s blue line, if he was to have a season of rejuvenation, Edmundson conceivably could have slotted in anywhere between three and six on the Capitals’ defensive depth chart. If Edmundson is to indeed land on the injured reserve for a while, Washington’s blue line will look remarkably similar to last season, while hopefully receiving a full year of play from both John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin.

Other snapshots:

  •  Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward, Calle Jarnkrok is considered day-to-day, and could skate as early as tomorrow. Jarnkrok did not play in the team’s second preseason game last night against the Ottawa Senators, but given his timeline, could play in Toronto’s game tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. During the regular season, Jarnkrok will likely slot into one of the top fourth lines in the league, next to David Kampf and Ryan Reaves.
  • A veteran of over 500 games in the American Hockey League, former defenseman Tommy Cross has found his new career off the ice. Spending the last several years in the St. Louis Blues organization, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Cross as a defensive development coach. In his new role, Cross will primarily be working with Columbus defensemen who have yet to crack the NHL roster.

Examining Toronto’s Further Cap-Cutting Options

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While today’s news that the Maple Leafs would be placing goaltender Matt Murray on LTIR to start the season helps to alleviate Toronto’s salary cap situation, they still have some work to do.  Using CapFriendly’s numbers, they still sit a little more than $2MM above the Upper Limit of the salary cap (even with Jake Muzzin being LTIR-bound himself) which means they have some paring down to do.

The recent arbitration award to Ilya Samsonov has opened up a second buyout window that they can utilize within the next 48 hours.  However, there are specific rules in place as to who can be bought out in this second window.  The player must make at least $4MM and have been on the roster last season.  Most of the other Toronto players that meet the criteria (and there aren’t many) have a zero percent chance of being bought out.

One possible exception is defenseman T.J. Brodie.  While they certainly wouldn’t want to part with the 33-year-old, the back-loaded structure of his contract would actually see the Maple Leafs clear the full $5MM AAV off the books for next season, clearing that gap and actually giving them some flexibility to add.  On the flip side, it would add $2.5MM onto the books for 2024-25 which certainly isn’t ideal with Auston Matthews and William Nylander needing pricey new deals next summer.  Speculatively, if they were open to parting with Brodie, a trade with 50% retention would free up $2.5MM in cap room and could yield a positive-value return, even in a market that doesn’t have a lot of financial wiggle room.

Assuming that’s not a route Toronto wants to take, let’s move on to some of the smaller cost-cutting options, sticking with the defense first.  Conor Timmins has a two-year deal that begins next season, one that carries a $1.1MM AAV.  While it’s generally viewed as bad form to trade a player that soon after signing an extension, Treliving wasn’t the one that gave him that deal.  Even if a trade option isn’t available, the contract can be fully buried in the minors without a lingering cap charge.  That might be their best option, actually, allowing them to keep Timmins in the organization a little longer and if another LTIR-eligible injury arises, he could then be brought up.

However, if head coach Sheldon Keefe wants to hold onto Timmins in the NHL, then Timothy Liljegren could become a cost-cutting candidate.  Signed for a reasonable $1.4MM next season, the 24-year-old has shown enough that they could get a solid return for his services although it would take another perceived part of their long-term plans out of the system, joining Rasmus Sandin who was moved at the deadline last season.

If Toronto parts with Brodie, it becomes much less likely that they’ll do something with Timmins or Liljegren as they’ll need them in the lineup on a regular basis.

Up front, there are presently 14 forwards on their projected roster.  They only need 12 so some savings can come from here.  Nicholas Robertson is coming off another shoulder injury and is waiver-exempt so his $797K is an easy one to pare down.

The other one isn’t as easy.  Sam Lafferty ($1.15MM) could be a luxury they could no longer afford and his contract could be fully buried in the minors if he was to clear waivers.  With the year he had, there could be a taker in training camp but with several capable role players still unsigned, his trade value right now would be limited.  Dylan Gambrell ($750K) is someone who might pass through unclaimed but he’d yield the fewest cap savings.  Pontus Holmberg ($800K) and Matthew Knies ($925K) are waiver-exempt and would save a bit more money than Gambrell but in a perfect world, they’re both in the opening lineup.

The other possible cap casualty could be winger Calle Jarnkrok.  At $2.1MM, his cap hit is hardly above market value but it might be a value that they can’t afford anymore while moving him outright would get them back into compliance.  However, the trade market for him might not be the best right now with other bottom-six players available in free agency and not necessarily needing the three years that Jarnkrok has left on his deal.

As you can see, there are certainly multiple paths that the Maple Leafs can take to get compliant.  But one way or the other, they will need to either part with some serviceable veterans or carry a minimum-sized roster to get there.  Treliving has added some pieces this summer including veterans John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi but some subtraction should now be coming.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Edvinsson, Hathaway

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The Maple Leafs will be without winger Calle Jarnkrok tonight as he is listed as day-to-day with a minor injury, relays Sports Illustrated’s David Alter (Twitter link).  The 31-year-old has done well in his first season in Toronto, notching career highs in goals (19) and points (37).  It’s unknown if he’ll get a chance to add to those numbers before the playoffs begin.  Wayne Simmonds will take his place in the lineup after being recalled last night.

Meanwhile, while the plan is for Matt Murray to serve as the backup tonight, Alter relays that head coach Sheldon Keefe is unsure if he’ll be able to do so.  Murray didn’t participate in the morning skate and with the Maple Leafs lacking the cap space for another recall, they might have to dress an emergency backup if Murray is unable to suit up.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde confirmed to reporters including Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen that defenseman Simon Edvinsson will only play in two of Detroit’s final four games this season. That will cap him at nine games, meaning that he will not burn the first year of his entry-level deal which will still have three years remaining on it next season.  Edvinsson’s first taste of NHL action has gone relatively well as the 20-year-old has two goals in his first seven appearances while averaging a little under 17 minutes per game.
  • While Bruins winger Garnet Hathaway is fitting in well with his new team, he told Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty that he hasn’t given any thought yet about potentially extending with Boston beyond this season. The 31-year-old has five points and 62 hits in 21 games since being acquired from Washington in February and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  For now, Hathaway is focusing on “short-term thinking” with Boston set to enter the playoffs as the top seed.

Toronto Maple Leafs To Place Calle Jarnkrok On IR

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According to Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be placing winger Calle Jarnkrok on IR. In response, the Maple Leafs announced that they are recalling forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev from the Toronto Marlies, their AHL affiliate. Jarnkrok’s IR placement was needed in order for the Maple Leafs to recall Der-Arguchintsev. Still, despite the need for a roster move to accommodate Der-Arguchintsev, the team has not confirmed Jarnkrok’s IR placement.

Jarnkrok suffered a groin injury during Wednesday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks, ultimately leaving the game early without a return. By Friday, Toronto was able to fully assess the forward and head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media the team would be without Jarnkrok for two weeks at the least. The Swede has fit in well with the Maple Leafs during the first of a four year, $8.4MM contract he signed this offseason, recording five goals and four assists in 25 games to date.

A third-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2018, Der-Arguchintsev has shown to be a quality professional hockey player thus far. After a strong OHL career with the Peterborough Petes, the Russian-born forward returned home for part of the 2020-21 season, where he recorded six points in 17 KHL games before coming back to North America and suiting up for the Marlies, where he’s been since. The 22-year-old had 32 points in 51 games last season, showing he belonged in professional hockey, but has turned it up a notch this season with 18 points in 20 AHL games. If he gets into game action for the Maple Leafs, it’ll be his NHL debut and after his consistent improvement year over year, it’ll be a debut the Maple Leafs should be excited about.

Calle Jarnkrok Out At Least Two Weeks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Calle Jarnkrok for the next two weeks at least, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet. The utility forward is dealing with a groin injury suffered on Wednesday night. T.J. Brodie, who is also out with an injury, will accompany the team on their upcoming road trip but is not expected to play.

Jarnkrok, 31, signed a four-year deal with the Maple Leafs in the offseason and has done a little bit of everything for them this season. Recently, he had been lining up on his off-wing next to John Tavares and Mitch Marner, benefiting from the talented forwards for a handful of points. He likely hasn’t been quite the presence that the front office was hoping for, though, as through 25 games he has scored just nine points.

A two-week absence will open the door for someone else like Nicholas Robertson to play with the Tavares line, as the Maple Leafs try to keep their winning streak alive. The team has won five in a row and is now 8-0-2 in their last ten, one of the hottest groups in the league. Even so, they sit three points behind the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division chase, despite having played three more games.

With Jake Muzzin and Morgan Rielly both on long-term injured reserve, the team has plenty of cap flexibility to recall a player in Jarnkrok’s absence if they choose.

West Notes: McLeod, Jets, Lambert

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The Oilers have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign in Ryan McLeod.  Speaking with 630 CHED (audio link), GM Ken Holland indicated that they expect to have the center signed by training camp on either a one-year or two-year deal.  The 22-year-old spent most of last season with Edmonton, picking up 21 points in 71 games plus four more in 16 playoff contests.  McLeod didn’t have salary arbitration rights so these talks could drag out closer to training camp.  With the Oilers being pretty tight to the cap even after factoring in their LTIR-eligible players, getting McLeod signed for cheap will be critical so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ultimately settles for a one-year pact to keep the AAV as low as possible next season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Jets showed interest in forward Calle Jarnkrok earlier this summer, even offering him more money than he ultimately accepted from Toronto, reports Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe. The 30-year-old is coming off a quiet finish to his season with Calgary but his track record of being a capable and versatile third-liner would have helped him fit in quite well with Winnipeg.  The Jets are one of the few teams that still have some money to spend this offseason – they have over $6MM in cap space per CapFriendly – so while they didn’t add Jarnkrok, they will certainly be adding a player or two in the coming weeks.
  • Still with the Jets, after missing pre-tournament games for Finland, prospect Brad Lambert will be available for the start of the World Juniors, reports Corey Pronman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 18-year-old slipped to 30th overall in the draft last month after being touted as a likely top-ten selection not all that long ago.  Meanwhile, Lambert told Petteri Ikonen of Helsingin Sanomat that a decision on where he will play next season will be made next month during training camp.  His contract with Pelicans in Finland is now up although he could sign a new one there.  Alternatively, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL hold his major junior rights while Lambert is eligible to play in the minors as well.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Calle Jarnkrok

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Free agent “frenzy” may be over, but there are still players available looking for contracts. The Toronto Maple Leafs have added one of those players, forward Calle Jarnkrok. The team has announced the deal, and the contract is a four-year contract with a $2.1MM average annual value.

Jarnkrok, 30, split 2021-22 with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames. He arrived in Seattle as their choice from the Nashville Predators at the expansion draft, and was traded to Calgary for three draft picks. Jarnkrok played 66 games last season and scored 12 goals and 30 points in 66 games. Jarnkrok’s offensive production throughout his career has been largely consistent, and he’s finished around the 30-point range with around 15 goals in most of the years he’s spent in the NHL.

Jarnkrok offers positional versatility, as he can play center and the wing, and plays a 200-foot game that coaches can trust. The Maple Leafs lost speedy middle-six winger Ilya Mikheyev to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week, so Jarnkrok can slide into their lineup and play his role as a two-way middle-sixer and penalty killer. Jarnkrok has featured on penalty kills in the past and got sporadic time on the Flames’ penalty kill and second-unit time on the Kraken’s penalty kill.

At 30 years old, the four-year term for Jarnkrok may be a bit risky. But his $2.1MM cap hit is definitely affordable, and if he can play to his normal 15-goal, 30 to 35-point form in Toronto this deal will be a solid investment for GM Kyle Dubas, and the sort of signing that coach Sheldon Keefe will greatly appreciate.

Flames Acquire Calle Jarnkrok

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Last month, the Flames made an important addition on the wing with the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli from Montreal.  They’ve now added another winger as they have acquired winger Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle.  In exchange, the Kraken receive Florida’s second-round pick in 2022, Calgary’s third-rounder in 2023, and a 2024 seventh-round selection.

The 30-year-old was the Kraken’s selection from Nashville in expansion and he has been his usual dependable two-way self this season.  He has played in 49 games for Seattle this season, picking up 12 goals and 14 assists while logging just shy of 17 minutes per game.  He has seen regular action on both the penalty kill and power play this season, giving him some versatility in terms of where head coach Darryl Sutter will be able to deploy him.

It’s notable that Jarnkrok has played at center in the past although he has predominantly been on the wing the last three seasons.  It’s possible that Calgary could opt to deploy him there in which case he’d likely be upgrading their fourth line as it’s unlikely he’d displace Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, or Sean Monahan from their current roles.

Jarnkrok is in the final season of a six-year, $12MM contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July.  The Flames didn’t currently have enough cap space to absorb his $2MM AAV – they have just $769K in space at the moment per CapFriendly – but Seattle hadn’t used any of their three retention slots before this deal.  That, coupled with Adam Ruzicka being waiver-exempt and eligible to be sent back to AHL Stockton, gives them enough cap room to make this work.

In the meantime, Seattle gets a very strong return for a rental player in Jarnkrok.  With the second-rounder this year, they now have nine selections for the 2022 draft in July while the 2023 third-rounder gives them ten picks for that draft.  They’re likely to look to stockpile more over the coming days with veteran blueliner Mark Giordano expected to be among those on the move by then.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report Jarnkrok was going to Calgary.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the draft picks going to Seattle.

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