Ahead of tonight's game against the Metropolitan Division leading New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a rather important move as they have activated forward Calle Jarnkrok from the IR. In a subsequent move, the Maple Leafs have demoted forward Nicholas Robertson to the Toronto Marlies, perhaps spelling the end of his tenure with the organization.
Before succumbing to the injury and lengthy absence, he had scored just 2 goals in his previous 16 games, including a 9-game point-less drought he will look to snap tonight. With the top-6 clicking and firmly locked in, look for Jarnkrok to take the right-wing spot on John Tavares' line.
On the other side of the spectrum we have Robertson, who always seems to be the one catching the short end of the stick. He had a decent stint with the big club as he suited up for 41 games and tallied 8 goals and 19 points along the way. It was his first consistent run with the Leafs since being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, having played just 31 games in parts of 3 seasons between 2019-20 and 2022-23.
With trade rumours swirling and the deadline quickly approaching, look for Brad Treliving to swing for the fences for some of the big-name defensemen still remaining on the market. They have been hesitant on moving their 2024 first round pick but Robertson's name has popped up several times and this could likely spell the end of a rocky tenure with the organization that was marred with injuries. Thankfully, he has been able to stay healthy finally this season, so that's a positive.
