When the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kyle Dubas signed Calle Jarnkrok to a four-year deal last July some writers and fans thought of it as a bit of a head scratcher.
Jarnkrok had an admirable career as a Predator as a depth forward and even averaged 16.5 goals over an 82-game pace during his final six seasons in Nashville. Still, it was shocking when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a four year deal.
Jarnkrok was left exposed in the expansion draft and selected by the Seattle Kraken who would eventually trade him to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline .
During his 17 games with the Flames down the stretch he was unable to bulge the twine, while recording just four assists. The playoffs only went slightly better as he recorded just one goal and three assists in 12 games.
Toronto Maple Leafs and Calle Jarnkrok
The aforementioned four year deal was worth $8.4 Million total and came with a cap hit of $2.1 Million.
Jarnkrok is above water in all his on-ice stats, except for is puck-possession. The Leafs have, however, won his minutes (slightly) and he has a slightly positive expected goals rating. The Swedish winger has played up and down the line-up and has looked most impressive playing with skilled players.
Jarnkrok scored his 14th goal of the season to open the scoring on Tuesday night against the Devils which now puts him just two goals shy of his career best 16 he recorded during the 2017-18 season.
Jarnkrok’s biggest asset has been his tenacity and skating ability which has led Sheldon Keefe to being able to play him in any role. He typically finds himself on both the second penalty kill team and second power play unit. While the power play is not a spot where Jarnkrok is able to show his best skills, he is still often used as the puck carrier to gain entry into the zone.
All of a sudden, the contract that was signed last season looks like an absolute steal as Jarnkork appears to have been able to gel on most lines and most importantly with the core of the club. Jarnkrok does not have the greatest playoff statistics with just four goals in 75 games, however he was part of the 2017 Nashville Predators that made a Stanley Cup appearance. Here is hoping he can help the Maple Leafs not just make it past the first round but have a deep playoff run.