Calle Jarnkrok exposes Craig Berube after frustrating final years with Maple Leafs
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Calle Jarnkrok signed with Brynas after 13 NHL seasons and revealed why his final two years under Craig Berube in Toronto grew so frustrating.
Calle Jarnkrok's time with the Toronto Maple Leafs has officially come to a close, and the veteran winger is opening up about how difficult his final two seasons in blue and white really were.
The 34-year-old signed a three-year deal with the SHL's Brynas on Monday, wrapping up a 13-year NHL career that included four seasons in Toronto.
Jarnkrok appeared in 200 regular season games for the Maple Leafs from 2022-23 through 2025-26, but the final two years were far from smooth.
He suited up for just 75 games across that stretch, managing six goals and eight points in 56 outings this past season after a groin and sports hernia injury limited him the year before that.
A hot start that fizzled fast
Jarnkrok actually opened this past season on fire, scoring in each of his first three games while averaging just over ten minutes of ice time and briefly sitting second on the team in scoring.
It didn't last. After going scoreless in his next two outings, he found himself scratched for game six and never really found consistent footing again, appearing in only 18 of Toronto's first 25 games that season.
Berube's usage left him searching for answers
Craig Berube served as Toronto's head coach through both of those difficult seasons before eventually losing his job with the club.
Jarnkrok has been candid about how confusing it felt to produce offense early and still find himself out of the lineup, admitting the whole situation was tough to stay motivated through.
"I scored goals...and then (Craig Berube) put me in the stands. It was a little weird."
- Calle Jarnkrok
- Calle Jarnkrok
Despite the rocky finish, he still looks back fondly on his time in Toronto, pointing to the passion of the city and its fans as something that pushed him even when the losses piled up.
Now back home in Sweden, Jarnkrok gets a fresh start with Brynas and a chance to finish his career on his own terms after a rollercoaster stretch in the NHL.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Frank Seravalli says Connor Hellebuyck agreed to trades involving three teams
Frank Seravalli says Connor Hellebuyck agreed to trades involving three teams