In an effort to find the right mix on the second line, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok will get a chance to prove his offensive value alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner on Friday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sheldon Keefe isn't done tinkering with his top-six forward group.
During Thursday's practice, the Toronto Maple Leafs' head coach made several changes up front. The most notable adjustment saw Calle Jarnkrok's move to the second line to skate alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner.
Keefe has liked how Jarnkrok played defensively and is beginning to see an uptick that could lead to some upside offensively, too.
"If you get him the puck, he's going to put it in," Keefe explained following practice at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday. "His overall game is starting to trend in the right direction, that period that we played here, he's found a way to contribute to our team,"
Jarnkrok led all Maple Leafs in a 5-on-5 expected goals percentage at 64 percent in a 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. And while he's deserving of some high praise for the way he played against the Devils, much of this move is more about Alex Kerfoot and Nick Robertson's underperformance.
Kerfoot has just one goal this season and it came at even strength. After skating in the top six for the last 12 games, he was moved down to the third line to make room for Nick Robertson.
The 21-year-old Robertson coughed up the puck that led to Erik Haula's scoring chance. The only reason it didn't result in a goal against Toronto is that the puck was kicked in.
With the Leafs getting ready to take on the likes of Ryan Reaves and Marcus Foligno, Simmonds will add some grit to a team missing some of it that would normally be occupied by defensemen Jake Muzzin (cervical spine issue) and Jordie Benn (upper-body injury).
Robertson will be a healthy scratch again as a result of the change
Toronto has been hoping for Robertson to lock himself into the top six but it's just not there and that example against Haula is an example.
This is Jarnkrok's chance to help stabilize a second line looking for an everyday left-winger. He played on the second line once with Kerfoot and Tavares on Oct. 30 against the Anaheim Ducks, but this will be the Swede's first game alongside Mitch Marner, who is on a career-high 14-game point streak.
If Jarnkrok can fit in with Marner, perhaps that could help the Leafs find what they were looking for when they signed the 31-year-old forward to a four-year, $8.4 million contract in July.