‘Timetable, I Don’t Know Right Now’: Status of Maple Leafs’ Calle Jarnkrok Remains Up In The Air, More Updates On Joseph Woll And Timothy Liljegren
Jarnkrok is required to miss the first 11 games of the regular season on long-term injured reserve.
It’s been a strange few weeks for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok as the Swedish forward’s status remains uncertain. Having already missed most of training camp with a lower-body injury, the 33-year-old will be sidelined for at least the first 11 games of the 2024-25 regular season on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
Although a clearer timetable could develop soon, head coach Craig Berube’s recent comments didn’t provide much reassurance. “He’s still day-to-day,” Berube said on October 7. “Timetable, I don’t know right now.”
With Jarnkrok’s placement on LTIR, the Leafs gain some short-term cap flexibility, but questions continue to linger about his future. The forward has been floated as a potential trade candidate, possibly helping Toronto become cap-compliant once he returns. However, until then, the Leafs are more focused on managing their 23-player roster, with other injured players like Joseph Woll, Jani Hakanpaa, and Connor Dewar also awaiting clearance.
Jarnkrok's struggles with injuries are not new. He was limited to just 52 games during the 2023-24 season, tallying 10 goals, 11 assists, and 21 points. Over two seasons in Toronto, he’s appeared in 125 games but has frequently been sidelined by hand injuries. Now dealing with this lower-body setback, the Swede remains under contract through 2025-26, carrying a $2.1 million AAV and a modified 10-team no-trade clause.
Joseph Woll is Progressing Well
Goaltender Joseph Woll appears close to returning after dealing with ‘lower-body tightness’ that sidelined him from the Leafs’ season opener. Woll started the season on injured reserve, missing the minimum seven days (cleared now), but he has recently taken steps toward rejoining the lineup.
Over the past three days, Woll participated in optional skates and pre-practice drills under the supervision of goaltender coach Curtis Sanford. As reported by Nick Barden of The Hockey News, Woll focused on puck retrieval drills and has been fine-tuning his movements, ramping back up to speed.
When asked about his progression, head coach Craig Berube said, “He's doing well. Keep him going here. We'll see where he's at tomorrow.”
Well, as the Leafs hit the ice on Friday, Woll was on the ice again, joining the Leafs for their full practice.
The Leafs are being cautious with Woll’s return, with Berube emphasizing that there’s no rush. Backup Anthony Stolarz has been excellent in Woll’s absence, recording two wins in three starts while posting a .940 save percentage.
A decision on Woll’s status could come soon, but the Leafs will likely wait until he’s fully ready to avoid any setbacks.
Timothy Liljegren, Where Do We Go From Here?
On Wednesday, defenseman Timothy Liljegren made his 2024-25 season debut in a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Paired with Simon Benoit on the third pairing, Liljegren logged 13:55 of ice time — the least among all Leafs defensemen — but still made an impression on the coaching staff.
Berube kept his expectations realistic pre-game, asking Liljegren to focus on playing a simple, hard-nosed game.
“He has ability, right? Skating, moving the puck and things like that. He should be a good puck mover. And it's just about him managing his game and managing his puck movement and making good decisions with it. Not risky ones,” Berube explained. “And it's simple. Just simplify. And then you've got to win your battles, right? As a defenseman, it's important that you're defending well and you're stronger at your net front and you're winning those board battles and corner battles and things like that. He's got to do that.”
While Liljegren’s performance was satisfactory overall, he did take a cross-checking penalty in the second period while Toronto was leading 4-0. Berube, however, felt he had made a solid effort when he was on the ice, even killing penalties. “He was fine. I mean, he's out there killing penalties. And he got, what, 14 minutes, five on five? I don't know what it was, the minutes. But, he was pretty solid.”
It remains to be seen where we go from here. The defenseman replaced Connor Timmins on the third pair on Wednesday, but it has to be determined if he will be slotted back in the same position against the New York Rangers on Saturday night.
At practice on Friday, Liljegren was paired with Philippe Myers and was essentially back to the seventh/eighth defenseman role. Timmins was slotted back beside Benoit on the third pairing.
It can be interpreted that he would have some runway, considering this was his first game of the new season, but we’ll have to see, and that too should become clearer after Friday’s practice.
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