Calle Jarnkrok’s Maple Leafs Tenure Reaches Official End With New Signing.
After four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and 13 in the NHL, Calle Jarnkrok is going back to Sweden to play for the SHL's Brynas.
Video Transcript
First, the premise would have to be that Pittsburgh has fallen out or does not think that they can make the playoffs.
Otherwise, they'll keep Carlson.
You know, they have, you know, the, the core group of the, Cup winners from almost a decade ago still there in Letang and Malkin and Crosby, and the, the, the marching orders seem to be let's keep, continue to try to make the playoffs as long as they're around.
If they see the, their, their playoff fortunes f- going by the wayside, then not only Carlson, but guys like Brian Rust and Rickard Rakell and the players that we thought were gonna get traded last year might be on the market as well.
Now that being said, from the Toronto perspective, if they're contending for a playoff spot, maybe not.
If they're contending, you know, they're first, second, or third in the Atlantic division, and they think that they're an Erik Karlsson away from winning a Stanley Cup, I mean, Karlsson is a power play quarterback and a very mobile defenseman.
They have the power play quarterback situation rectified, at least we think, by the addition of Darren Raddysh.
So it would, they would have to need to improve on the right side, and unless Kris Tanev is injured, the- they don't really need a right shot defenseman.
Not to say that you don't want a future Hall of Famer in Erik Karlsson, but I don't know if the need is there.
And let's just say this.
I don't think the Leafs are trading, you know, the I don't think Pittsburgh is interested in Morgan Rielly or O- or Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
They're gonna want probably their top prospect defenseman, which is, which is Ben Danford, and a probably a first-round pick, which they don't have one until 2029.
So I don't know.
It, it makes sense again as a fit, but Andre, I, I, I just don't think it's gonna happen.
Yeah, Andre, what do you think with covering the Leafs?
What do you think of a, a fit here potentially?
Mike, Mike's got it pretty on the nose.
I, I'd add to that, you know, Erik Karlsson's cap hit is not r- very cheap.
It's I know he I think he'd have some retention in that trade going to Pittsburgh, but even then it's well over 10 million I think.
And obviously, you know, with how much Toronto has spent in the off-season, they don't have $10 million laying around.
So, some money's gonna have to go out, and, you know, if, if that money going out is, is a Rielly, you know, Mike said maybe Pittsburgh not interested in that.
But even if you do a Rielly for Karlsson among other ass- assets, do Toronto get that much better just adding more right-handed defensemen in that sort of cluster down the right side, and you lose another veteran defenseman at least.
So in that sense, I don't see a lot of progression in terms of how good your roster is.
And then yeah, like Mike said, a lot has to go right with, you know, how both teams are doing in, in the regular season.
So it seems like a lot has to work out for that, but, you know, it's, it's fun to fantasize about these things.
