Leafs winger drops an amazing quote when asked about setting a new career-high in goals
For veteran winger Calle Jarnkrok, he had a lot to prove coming into his first season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially after a rough year last year, split between the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames. Jarnkrok's 49-game stint as a member of the Kraken on their maiden voyage was largely pretty solid, with the Gavle, Sweden native notching 12 goals and 26 points over that span. However, when he was dealt to the Flames, that's where the wheels fell off for him.
During his 17-game stretch in Calgary, Jarnkrok managed just 4 assists, spending a fair amount of time toiling deep in the bottom six or being healthy scratched in Calgary. He was never really set up for success there and it showed. Unfortunately for Jarnkrok, it his rough home stretch occurred in a contract year, which absolutely tanked his value on the UFA market. There was one GM, however, who saw great potential - Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. Dubas inked Jarnkrok to a 4-year deal, worth $2.1M per season and in this, his first kick at the can in Toronto, Jarnkrok is playing very well, setting a new career high in goals with 17, and matching a career high in points with 35 with 13 games left to play.
Jarnkrok's pair of goals last night in Ottawa helped propel the Leafs to a 5-4 shootout win, though the game likely would have been a runaway loss were it not for Matt Murray's 48-save performance, followed by his performance in the shootout where he stopped 6 of 9 shooters. Still, we can't discount Jarnkrok's contributions. Even Auston Matthews took notice, calling Jarnkrok's release one of the best he's seen in a long time, and even telling head coach Sheldon Keefe that he would like to continue playing with Jarnkrok on his wing.
When asked about setting a new career high in goals last night, Jarnkrok provided the most gamer response of all time, saying "I don't even think about that. I'm here to win hockey games."
The 31-year-old is absolutely making the most of his opportunity in Toronto and providing excellent surplus value to the Leafs, despite only earning $2.1M per season. Hopefully he can keep himself going in the right direction and continue to provide that value throughout the playoffs and in the final 3 years of his deal.
