Calle Järnkrok leaves the NHL as Maple Leafs close the book on their old bottom six

Calle Järnkrok is headed home after signing a contract with Brynas IF, which will end his time in the NHL and firmly shut the door on his Maple Leafs tenure.

On Monday, it was announced that Brynas IF of the SHL had come to an agreement with former Maple Leafs forward and free agent Calle Järnkrok on a three-year deal that runs through the 2028-29 season:

-

Translated from Swedish, the team is excited to have the long-time NHL forward back in the fold:

Welcome home, Calle Järnkrok

Brynäs IF can today announce that Calle Järnkrok, after 13 seasons in North America, is returning home to Gävle to play for Brynäs IF again. The 34-year-old center has signed a 3-year contract that extends through the 2028/29 season.

Järnkrok, 34, had six goals and eight points in 56 games for the Maple Leafs last season, though was a minus-15 and was nowhere near his usual defensively-minded style. After a solid 20-goal debut with the team, injuries kept him sidelined and he's missed over 120 games with injuries during his time in Toronto including a sports hernia that required surgery.

Järnkrok's Leafs job disappeared before he ever left the NHL

But with the additions that the Maple Leafs made this offseason, the writing was on the wall for Järnkrok.

Toronto effectively redistributed Järnkrok's old responsibilities across several new forwards. Paul, Sissons and Blueger can all handle defensive minutes and special teams, while offering different levels of offence and versatility.

There's no spot for him on the PK, he wouldn't have fit in the bottom-six and would likely have been nothing more than extreme depth on a team that is already a lot deeper in the bottom half. There's still Steven Lorentz as well as potentially Max Domi available as well - so it's a logjam he couldn't steer clear of.

Toronto's first injury test will show whether its new depth really replaced Järnkrok's versatility

But the real question isn't if the Maple Leafs made the right choice in letting Järnkrok walk, but rather if injuries make them question whether that depth would have been worth it.

Granted, Järnkrok could never come back on a salary like he previously had ($2.1M) but for a league minimum he could have been insurance. Blueger missed time last year and is a bit of an injury concern, Paul just had wrist surgery and only played 55 games last year, with names like Dakota Joshua also at risk of being hurt - especially after last season.

But if there were an injury it's likely that Lorentz would be the first guy slotted in, and then at that point it's going to be dependent on some Marlies names who can slide in with NHL experience like Bo Groulx or Jacob Quillan.

Järnkrok would offer at least some help if things got really rough, but with too many options at their disposal, it would have taken a short-term, bargain-basement contract to even bring him in - with an already thin contract situation.

Järnkrok's departure will matter most when injuries force Toronto to reshuffle. If the new bottom six can absorb those role changes without losing structure, the Leafs will have proven they replaced his versatility rather than simply moving on from it.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Maple Leafs prospect scores twice as pressure builds for a bigger role in Russia