#4 Calle Jarnkrok
Calle Jarnkrok had been a key member of the Maple Leafs during the past two NHL seasons. Signed to a four-year, $8.4 million contract during the 2022 offseason, Jarnkrok has played various roles in the Leafs’ lineup ever since.
Whether it was the top-six, bottom-six, or on special teams, he had been a jack-of-all-trades for Toronto in getting the job done. As an added bonus, Jarnkrok even registered career highs in goals with 20 and points with 39 in his first season in the blue and white.
However, injuries limited his effectiveness somewhat during the past season, as he posted just 10 goals and 21 points over 52 games played.
This season, Jarnkrok hasn’t seen any action with the Maple Leafs at all as he had been out with a groin and sports hernia issue that ended up requiring surgery in mid-November.
As a fallout of his absence, other members of the Leafs have picked up some of the slack as key young players such as Bobby McMann and Matthew Knies have provided valuable secondary scoring, while the likes of Connor Dewar and Steven Lorentz have made up for the defensive side of things.
As a result, it appears as though the necessity of having Jarnkrok back in the lineup isn’t as significant as one would think, since the Leafs have had their run of success even without his services.
Therefore, his importance is leaning on negligible as of this moment, other than the fact that he could actually be a valuable trade chip at the deadline. That is because if he can return to full health by that time, his availability in trade talks can end up helping the Leafs get the cap space needed to make a more impactful deal.