The Seattle Kraken have traded forward Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames in exchange for the Florida Panthers’ 2022 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick as first reported by Chris Johnston of TSN and further confirmed by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Kraken will be retaining 50 percent of his salary in the deal. The move comes just a few weeks after the Flames acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Montreal Canadiens to bolster their top six. They now have someone that should upgrade the bottom half of their lineup as he can play both center and wing.
In 49 games this season, Jarnkrok has scored 12 goals and 26 points. He could end up being a rental for the Flames as he will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in the offseason. He is currently on the last year of a six-year contract he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2016 that was worth a modest $2 million in average annual value (AAV). He is a veteran of 557 NHL games where he has 106 goals and 237 points along with a very impressive plus-44 in the plus/minus column. He was originally a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings back in 2010.
Related: 2022 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker
For the Kraken, this trade will probably be the first of many as they head towards the March 21 deadline. With a plethora of pending free agents this summer including Marcus Johansson, Riley Sheahan, Colin Blackwell and most of all, captain Mark Giordano, they might end up being one of the busiest teams by the time the clock strikes 3 pm ET on Monday.
General manager Ron Francis got a load of future assets for Jarnkrok, a UFA that wasn’t likely to re-sign with the team. He basically transformed a 30-year-old veteran into three prospects that will help build up his team’s pool which is still very shallow at the moment. All in all, he got a pretty good return for someone who was probably going to walk away in the offseason.
Flames Continue To Add
After the Flames acquired Toffoli from the Canadiens, there was speculation that GM Brad Treliving was not done adding to his team. Turns out that speculation was correct as he now has traded for Jarnkrok. Except, seeing that he is not a defenceman, one has to wonder if he is truly done now. Recent rumors had the Flames connected to Ben Chiarot, but now that he’s a member of the Panthers, could their former captain Mark Giordano be on their radar next?
Regardless, adding Jarnkrok represents an upgrade to the Flames’ bottom six that has struggled to score goals at times this season. He will supply a defensive presence to either the third or fourth line and be able to kill penalties as well. With seven-straight seasons of double digits in the goal column, he should add some goalscoring punch too. Not to mention he will have a familiar face in the dressing room when he arrives in Calgary as Elias Lindholm is his cousin.
The Flames are without a doubt one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference with the additions they have made so far as they were already a strong team without Toffoli and Jarnkrok. With a bolstered forward group, underrated defence core and Vezina Trophy calibre goaltending from Jacob Markstrom, they might just be strong enough to bring a Stanley Cup back to Calgary for the first time since 1989.
Matthew Zator is a THW freelance writer, media editor, and scout who lives and breathes Vancouver Canucks hockey, the NHL Draft, and prospects in general. He loves talking about young players and their potential. Matthew is a must-read for Canucks fans and fans of the NHL Draft and its prospects. For interview requests or content information, you can follow Matthew through his social media accounts which are listed under his photo at the conclusion of articles like this one about Tyler Motte.
Matthew also hosts The Hockey Writers Prospect Corner on YouTube and is the co-host of the Western Centric Podcast.