The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today the signing of center Calle Järnkrok to a four-year, $2.1 million per year contract. Yarnkrock spent last season in Seattle before being traded to Calgary. He had 12 goals and 26 points in the regular season, as well as a goal and four points in 12 playoff games for Calgary.
Jarnkrok, who will be 31 at the start of the season, played a top-6 free agent role (both center and wing) for both Seattle and Nashville, where he spent his first eight seasons in the league. In Calgary, he was used on the third line with Blake Coleman and Dylan Dube as their center.
As for his role with the Leafs, that’s where the speculation and question marks start to fly. Is he the proverbial replacement for Alex Kerfoot with a cheaper number to go on the second line with Tavares and Nylander? He will definitely fit in there because of his strong finishing and defense. Or will he surprisingly be cheaper than the Leafs expect Pierre Engvall to be and plan to trade him before arbitration begins? Or does he just push Kerfoot down the lineup to make a strong third possession line with Cache now in Carolina? If so, where does the money come from? If we run Justin Hall or Rasmus Sandin, we’ll be fine.
Calle Järnkrok (traded to Calgary at 50% retention in exchange for second this year, third next year and fourth the year after that) is a good mostly defensive forward with a very good finish. He shouldn’t be taking up anyone’s powerplay minutes. pic.twitter.com/iUeOq7YdGc
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) March 17, 2022
If last year was an aberration, signing Calle Jarnkrok to a four-year, $2.1 million contract is a very smart move. If this was a sign of things to come for a player entering his 30s… well, there’s a bit of a risk here. pic.twitter.com/MDnsn7RQ8e
— dom (@domluszczyszyn) July 15, 2022
Personally, when the Leafs dealt Mark Giordano last spring at the trade deadline, I was really hoping Järnkrok would be part of the package coming to Toronto. I like him as a power forward who can play a complementary role on offense and help a lot on defense. He seems like the perfect fit for John Tavares, especially with his ability to play center.
Now to you, what do you think the impact of this signing will be?
Survey
What do you WANT to happen?
-
38%
Kerfoot traded (435 votes)
-
6%
Engvall trades (74 votes)
Total 1138 votes Vote now
Survey
What do you THINK will happen? (No, you have no other options, please don’t do this for Jake Muzzin in the comments).
-
39%
Kerfoot traded (325 votes)
-
5%
Engvall trades (47 votes)
Total 829 votes Vote now
Add Comment