Veteran winger disappears from both Leafs' training camp groups on Tuesday; is a trade imminent?

Now, it appears as though we're nearing the next wave of cuts as the Leafs have been split into two groups; the roster staples and roster hopefuls are in one group, while the long-shots comprise the other.

Interestingly enough, Calle Jarnkrok is not on either list, despite being included on the Leafs' original "Group Two" training camp roster.

He did not play in either of the Leafs' first two pre-season games and his absence is certainly raising a few eyebrows.

Jarnkrok signed a 4-year deal with the Leafs in the summer of 2022, worth $2.1M per season. At the time, the deal was viewed as an interesting one for the Leafs, in that Jarnkrok was expected to fetch a higher AAV on the open market, instead choosing to sign for less with the Leafs in exchange for an extra year or two of term. Jarnkrok also possessed a solid blend of offense and defense and had experience playing both wing and center, which was enticing.

Since there was no official injury report on Jarnkrok, his absence from the camp roster this week is certainly odd, which leads me to an interesting theory that has already been discussed. In an article that we shared this morning, we revealed that Insider believes that the Nylander move to center corresponds with a move to bring in a star winger trusted NHL Insider suggested that Nylander's move to center may correspond with another move.

We made mention of the fact that moving Jarnkrok's $2.1M may open up some intriguing possibilities for the Leafs. One of those possibilities is bringing Patrick Kane into the fold.

The truth is, until Sheldon Keefe or Brad Treliving come forward to explain Jarnkrok's absence, there's going to be a ton of speculation over what the plan for him is.

We do know that the Leafs are still well over the salary cap and that trading Jarnkrok alleviates a lot of their cap problems. Also, if the plan is to bring in Kane on a 35+ contract in November, moving Jarnkrok would be a necessity.

We'll be sure to track this story and provide an update as soon as one becomes available.

However, it would appear as though the writing is already on the wall for the 32-year-old in Toronto.