Toronto Maple Leafs: Calle Jarnkrok Is Not Playing on the 2nd Line

If you have read anything about the Toronto Maple Leafs as they embarked on training camp last week in preparation of the new NHL season, you undoubtedly read about how there is an open competition for the left-wing spot on the second line.

This is a weird development, since the Toronto Maple Leafs second line from last season is completely intact, and was one of the best second-lines in all of hockey.

Alex Kerfoot scored more 5v5 points than either his linemates John Tavares or William Nylander did.  He did it while playing better defense than either of them, and so it’s kind of weird that he would be demoted.

I get that Nick Robertson, likely future 40 goal scorer, could win that job.  I get that Alex Kerfoot’s $3.5 million dollar salary might be too expensive for a non-star, and that he could get traded.

Those are all possibilities.

But what is not possible is Calle Jarnkrok winning that job and playing there all season.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Calle Jarnkrok Isn’t a Top  Six Forward

Jarnkrok is 31 and has a career high of 35 points. Nearly scoring a hattrick in the preseason doesn’t change that.

Alex Kerfoot is the Toronto Maple Leafs second-line left winger, unless and until Nick Robertson says so.  Just because Nazem Kadri had an unlikely breakout season at the age of 31 doesn’t make Alex Kerfoot a bad player.  A penalty that should never have been called shouldn’t be held against him.  And that giveaway? Whatever.  Players give the puck away.  It happens.

Last year the Leafs had a ridiculous home record, one where they only lost eight times in regulation in 41 games.  They picked up almost 80% of their points and 31 wins is tied for the fifth highest total of all time.  It was the 31st best home record in NHL history. 

Now why were the 2021-22 Toronto Maple Leafs one of the best team’s of all-time at home?  Last change.

In the NHL, home-ice advantage doesn’t come from fans, it comes from being able to dictate the matchups with last change.

In this scenario, the Leafs are able to get Engvall-Kampf-Mikheyev (or now, Jarnkrok) out against the other team’s top line.  Since they somehow managed to win their minutes playing against the other team’s top lines, the chain-reaction gave the Leafs a major advantage.

Instead of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner going up against their opponents top line, they are now getting ice-time against weaker competition.

Same goes with John Tavaers and William Nylander, themselves pretty much a “first-line” anyways.

Most teams can’t do this, because usually, when you try to make a non-scoring defense-only line, it gets eaten alive by top competition.

The Leafs are not going to give up such an advantage, so once Pierre Engvall returns from injury, you can expect that he will join with David Kampf, and that they will be complimented by Calle Jarnkrok, who is better defensively than Mikheyev at half the cost.

Jarnkrork will not be skating on the second line.