Though the Maple Leafs made transformative changes to their bottom-six, they may regret letting Calle Järnkrok go if he finds his stride on a contender.
This past offseason was a big one for the Maple Leafs as they pretty much brought in a brand new roster of players to try and be competitive after a miserable 2025-26 season. In doing so, they let some longtime names walk, one of those being Calle Järnkrok.
Having been unable to find his previous form, Järnkrok's combination of injury risk and age led the Maple Leafs to move on and replace him with younger, healthier, and more reliable forwards. But his NHL career may not be over just yet according to one analyst.
Järnkrok may still be exactly the kind of useful player Toronto just decided it could live without
The Daily Faceoff's Mike Gould's latest article touched on which under-the-radar free agents could be given a PTO agreement this season, and he pointed to Jarnkrok as a name who could latch onto a team like San Jose or Edmonton:
Under former Leafs coach Craig Berube, Järnkrok had to make do with some of the harshest usage imaginable. Perhaps that was just a consequence of his declining offensive ability, or maybe it was merely a matter of preference.
Either way, it remains to be seen whether an NHL club (perhaps the Oilers or Sharks?) will take a flier on Jarnkrok to see if he can give their bottom six a spark.
Gould also mentioned that the rumours of Järnkrok heading to Sweden aren't going away either, as he could very well return to his homeland and play overseas. His time with Toronto was great initially, with a 20-goal debut, and putting up his best offensive numbers of his career in 2023-24.
But injuries and a steady decline led him to earning less and less ice time, with him only managing to find an average of 11:50 per game, and he only added eight points and was nowhere near his defensive level - and the majority of those points came early on in the year as well.
Toronto decided they needed more stability and gave guys like Colton Sissons and Teddy Blueger a fair bit of money to do what Järnkrok does. They also acquired Nick Paul, who brings both a better offensive outlook and defensive acumen compared to Järnkrok.
It could be a matter of wrong place, wrong time for Järnkrok and he just isn't a fit for the current Leafs but may be able to stabilize a contender's forward group - if he stays healthy that is.
If Järnkrok rebounds elsewhere, Toronto will get an early comparison for its bottom-six rebuild
With Toronto moving on from Järnkrok so quickly, it felt like it was the end for him in the NHL. However, he still has 774 games experience, over 100 career playoff games, can still be a defensively sound forward and is coming off a serious injury that required surgery and a long recovery.
Last year seemed to just be cursed for the Maple Leafs, and Järnkrok's decline was starting to become clearer as the season wore on and despite being so ineffective, was still plugged in over the likes of Easton Cowan - the icing on the cake for a terrible season.
But if he can come in and show that he's still able to provide defensive support, offensive help, penalty killing, and becomes a focal point of a contender's bottom-six, then Toronto will have an interesting comparison to make.
Järnkrok's decline may have been partly tied to injuries and usage, while the Leafs committed new money to players expected to handle many of the same defensive responsibilities.
If that's the case, then the Maple Leafs may have to live with the decision that they paid quite of bit of money to bring in several players similar to Järnkrok when they could have just kept him under a new coach and see how he thrived - while saving money for other needs.
Do you think Toronto gave up on Calle Järnkrok too early?
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