September 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nOn a typical Leafs flight, J\u00e4rnkrok would dart to the back of the plane and watch a show with fellow Swede William Nylander. No card games, video games or socializing for him. When you add in the fact that J\u00e4rnkrok, 34, was the oldest player on the Leafs plane that night? And that he was, as he called it, out on a \u201cfield trip\u201d with a roster largely full of non-NHL players? A prime candidate to voice his displeasure.<\/p>\n
But he wasn\u2019t frustrated at all. Instead, J\u00e4rnkrok walked up and down the aisle, chatting with players he never would have otherwise.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because Calle J\u00e4rnkrok is playing with a new lease on his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Willie was there, he would have been pissed,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok cracked about the lengthy flight delay. \u201cSo, it was good that he stayed back.\u201d<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok found himself acting differently among his young peers. He was far happier to chat.<\/p>\n
His change in attitude and health could conversely impact the Leafs\u2019 final roster decisions with the start of the regular season around the corner. One of the lingering questions to be answered with less than two weeks in training camp is whether a pain-free and newly positive J\u00e4rnkrok can crack the Leafs\u2019 opening-night lineup. Four forwards are battling for what seems like one remaining spot in the Leafs\u2019 opening-night lineup: J\u00e4rnkrok, Nick Robertson, Easton Cowan and David K\u00e4mpf.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun to be out there,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok said, with a grin you don\u2019t often see, \u201cwhen you\u2019re finally pain free.\u201d<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok has not been pain free for most of this past year. He suffered a sports hernia injury in training camp in 2024. After playing two preseason games, J\u00e4rnkrok started the regular season on the shelf. In November, J\u00e4rnkrok had groin and sports hernia surgery. He only returned in March.<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok played just 19 regular-season games last season and logged only 13:14 ATOI throughout. For a once-dependable, jack-of-all-trades forward, those numbers were far more akin to his rookie season back in 2013-14.<\/p>\n
Yet even when J\u00e4rnkrok was on the ice to end the season, he suffered through intense pain. He wasn\u2019t his normally resourceful and reliable self.<\/p>\n
After the season, J\u00e4rnkrok took his family to Greece for an early summer holiday. Even with the historical sights around him, J\u00e4rnkrok\u2019s family was content to sit near the pool. And secretly, J\u00e4rnkrok was too. He felt continued discomfort just trying to take a mid-vacation jog.<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok quietly wondered how healthy he\u2019d be for the upcoming Leafs season, his final of a four-year deal. It wasn\u2019t until July that J\u00e4rnkrok finally began feeling like himself again. The mental load weighing on him disappeared when his lingering aches did as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took a while\u00a0for me to feel good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok\u2019s name was a constant in offseason trade rumours. But he said he didn\u2019t worry about getting traded. He was too busy enjoying moving without being burdened by pain.<\/p>\n
And so, despite the numbers being stacked against J\u00e4rnkrok, he is in this training camp with a new attitude. He knows how difficult it can be for players in their mid-30s, especially those with recent injury issues, to secure long-term deals.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s partly why he seems to be smiling more and playing free of worry, despite being on the bubble of the Leafs\u2019 opening-night lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be age,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok said of his smile and positivity. \u201cIt might be not feeling good last season and coming in now and feeling good. It helps a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok isn\u2019t just in the back nine of his career \u2014 he\u2019s contemplating his clubhouse order to follow his round. It\u2019s time for him to look at the game he\u2019s played his whole life differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not getting any younger. So, I\u2019m trying to enjoy it as long as possible,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok said.<\/p>\n
Leafs coach Craig Berube is giving J\u00e4rnkrok opportunities to show how playing pain-free could help the Leafs this season. He seems to want J\u00e4rnkrok to make the opening-night lineup.<\/p>\n
While J\u00e4rnkrok skated on ostensibly the Leafs\u2019 fifth line at their most recent full practice, Berube vaulted him up to the team\u2019s top line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander against the Montreal Canadiens in Saturday\u2019s preseason game. J\u00e4rnkrok looked agile and engaged in a 4-2 loss. He was as pesky as he\u2019s ever been off the puck in the neutral zone and got in dangerous spots alongside gifted offensive players.<\/p>\n
What does he have to do to beat out those also fighting for a spot?<\/p>\n
Maybe more of what he\u2019s done his whole career.<\/p>\n
J\u00e4rnkrok offers far more experience and versatility than any player on that list. He seems to have Berube\u2019s trust in a way that Robertson and K\u00e4mpf don\u2019t consistently enjoy. J\u00e4rnkrok\u2019s defensive presence and habits matter. He was not on the ice for any of the Canadiens\u2019 four goals Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy I\u2019m feeling good, and feeling good on the ice,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok said, shrugging his shoulders.<\/p>\n
Yet for all his versatility, J\u00e4rnkrok undoubtedly lacks the offensive upside that Robertson, and maybe even Cowan, bring. J\u00e4rnkrok maxed out at 20 goals, a career high, during his first season in Toronto. On a team with bona fide questions about where their production will come from, those offensive instincts should matter.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll find out if they will. Berube will soon have to decide whether J\u00e4rnkrok is needed in the Leafs\u2019 top 12 forwards every night, or whether he will come in and out of the lineup. A less likely option is that he is waived and sent to the Marlies.<\/p>\n
And yes, a final possible option could see J\u00e4rnkrok shipped out via trade.<\/p>\n
As of right now, J\u00e4rnkrok\u2019s efforts will be aided by his attitude. He knows he\u2019s in a better place physically. That could help his case to stay in the lineup.<\/p>\n
In the eyes of Berube, it\u00a0is helping.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery good, in my opinion,\u201d Berube said of J\u00e4rnkrok\u2019s training camp on Sept. 25. \u201cHe had a great first game in Ottawa. His work ethic and practice habits are exceptional. \u2026 He\u2019s healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so wherever J\u00e4rnkrok finds himself, he\u2019ll do so with a new smile. He played through immense pain last season. He\u2019s thankful he won\u2019t have to again.<\/p>\n
Not even five hours on a tarmac will make him forget that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my game. I know I\u2019m a good player,\u201d J\u00e4rnkrok said, before raising his eyes. \u201cEspecially when I\u2019m healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Photo: Chris Tanouye \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n