[Signing] Leafs sign Calle Järnkrok (4 years, $2.1M AAV)

[The Fonz]

This guy sucked

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yeah, I loved watching Jarnkrok play. Would have loved him at that price. I'm confident he would have produced this season in a slightly bigger role and more time to adjust.

He was mostly a bottom 6 player here. He's a great two way player and I bet in Toronto he gets top 6 looks with star forwards and excels and doesn't look back.

They've got 1 top six spot open. Its possible he takes it, but more likely they just rotate around or use a younger guy with more offensive upside.

[Strange Brew]

I don’t see him as top six at all. He’s not that young and he hasn’t played in that role before.

[GioforPM]

Leafs don’t really need offence though, do they. They need guys who can check. That’s Jarnkrok.

[Strange Brew]

He’s a decent bottom six player but not any kind of elite shutdown guy. Exactly the kind of player you should be able to regularly promote internally. This is the biggest contract he has ever signed and ensures he draws an NHL salary into his mid 30’s.

Even with zero offense was hoping he could play a bigger role in containing the Oilers.

[savemedrzaius]

With the Leafs signing Engvall and still needing to sign Sandin they likely will trade Kerfoot. I could see Jarnkrok getting a chance in his old spot on the line with Tavares and Nylander. Both those guys aren't great defensively so need a defensive forward to help out.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Leafs don’t really need offence though, do they. They need guys who can check. That’s Jarnkrok.

I believe they view him as a less expensive replacement for Kerfoot who they will probably try to unload his salary for a draft pick(s).

[CSharp]

Meh, Flames could've saved the draft picks and had Ruzicka in the lineup.

[PuckSlap]

I’ve noticed that we often put too much emphasis on compete vs finish or even general skill and talent.

The flames and fans seems to care way too much about character, rather than skill.

I’m at the point where I would rather a locker room full of egotistical players who can score, rather than a good character player.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by PuckSlap

I’m at the point where I would rather a locker room full of egotistical players who can score, rather than a good character player.

In a cap league, you'll never see a room full of players who can score. So would you rather have good character players on the back half of the roster, or players who expect to be treated like the stars they aren't?

[PuckSlap]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

In a cap league, you'll never see a room full of players who can score. So would you rather have good character players on the back half of the roster, or players who expect to be treated like the stars they aren't?

They don’t have to be allstars but at least be ruthless and good at what job they’re given.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by PuckSlap

They don’t have to be allstars but at least be ruthless and good at what job they’re given.

If they're good at their job, what does it matter whether they're ruthless or not? Being ruthless doesn't make you do your job better, it just makes you a PITA to deal with.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I generally liked Jarnkrok in Calgary, but he just didn't click offensively at all. Not sure if it was Sutter's system (some players simply perform better in one system over another), or maybe didn't gel with linemates - but it wasn't like he didn't get his offensive chances. He just couldn't bury them.


My comparable for how his time was spent in Calgary was much like the other photoshoot of "3 Fishing Buddies" - the one with Norstrom instead of Jarnkrok. Funny how that worked out. Jarnkrok was a slower, less physical and better passing Nordstrom in his time here. Kind of forgettable, but definitely not awful. Just didn't click. You expected them both to click (and quite honestly, I thought Nordstrom started to look much better under Sutter when Sutter took over, and I expected him to re-sign actually).


Hope Jarnkrok does well in Toronto. He just didn't seem to have any success here at all (decent defensively though).