Reporter Reveals the Nature of the Injury to Maple Leafs Forward Calle Jarnkrok

Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok has been sidelined since before the 2024-25 season began due to an apparent injury he sustained during preseason. However, the versatile 33-year-old forward may have finally turned a corner in his recovery.

Jarnkrok appeared on the ice briefly at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday ahead of the rest of the team as they prepared to get ready to battle it out with the Boston Bruins.

Jarnkrok, being a jack of all trades, has been missed by the Maple Leafs this season. Not only can he play up and down the lineup and contribute on offense, but the veteran is also a solid penalty killer as well. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to help the team at all, as he is still sidelined, dealing with a sports hernia.

Jarnkrok is eligible to be activated from LTIR at any time, but the Maple Leafs would have to remove someone from their 23-man roster and are also awaiting the return of Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpaa, who are currently on conditioning stints with the Toronto Marlies, but are nearing a return as well.

Many would argue that general manager Brad Treliving is in a bit of a pickle with the impending returns. However, having so many fresh bodies could bode well for the club, especially if captain Auston Matthews misses some time with the upper body injury he is reportedly dealing with.

While it's not likely that Jarnkrok would crack the current top six, he has had some success while wearing the Blue & White in a primarily bottom six role. In 125 games played, he's contributed 30 goals along with 30 assists.

The Swedish forward is currently in the third year of a four-year, $8.4 million per season deal, which pays him $2.1M per season. The problem with that is that Jarnkrok has missed an abundance of time and may no longer be a luxury that the Maple Leafs can afford.

Appreciating that there is lots of time left in the season, management still has their work cut out for them to determine who should stay and who should go, and while Jarnkrok is sort of a multi-tool in the toolbox, he doesn't truly excel at anything and with the consistent health issues, it may make the most sense to simply move on from him if/when he's healthy enough to trade.