Maple Leafs Continue To Dangle One Forward As Trade Piece

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still in search of a top-6 forward to round out their group, but to free up a bit more cap space and create a little more space for someone like Nick Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok has been on the trade block for a while.

According to The Fourth Period, "the market hasn't been vibrant to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him (Jarnkrok)."

Jarnkrok has a cap hit of $2.1 million AAV and he hasn't been quite the player the Maple Leafs had hoped for once he started getting hit with some injuries the last two seasons. He played 19 games last season and scored one goal and recorded seven points. The 33-year-old is going into the last year of his contract and has a 10-team no-trade list, which won't be too difficult for the Maple Leafs to work around.

I think the injuries suffered is the biggest reason teams aren't more serious in talks about acquiring Jarnkrok from the Maple Leafs. A buyout isn't an option since the contract is very cheap and he is decently productive when healthy. There isn't much of a point to have a buyout hit on the team for an extra year if the team doesn't have to.

The Maple Leafs did some revamping which I think did the team well. The feeling is that Jarnkrok, who's career high in goals (20) and points (39), set in the first year with Toronto, is the last piece to go before or at the same time as acquiring a top-6 player. I'm sure a team will eventually turn up to move him to, even if it takes until the trade deadline. Jarnkrok may have played his last game for the Maple Leafs, but he is guaranteed to only have a maximum of one season remaining before moving on.