Ice Chips: Maple Leafs F Jarnkrok expected to make season debut Monday

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok is expected to make his season debut Monday against the San Jose Sharks.

Jarnkrok, 33, has been sidelined since November after he underwent groin and sports hernia surgery. He was placed on long-term injured reserve and labelled month-to-month after the procedure.

"I feel great out there," Jarnkrok said after participating in the team's practice on Saturday. "I'm just waiting for the last medical clearance here. I don't know if it will be tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, but I'm really close."

The Swedish centre did not play in Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, but figures to return to the lineup as the Leafs look to extend their winning streak to six games.

Jarnkrok was limited to 52 games last year and recorded 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points.

He is in the third season of a four-year, $8.4 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $2.1 million.

Drafted with the 41st overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2010, Jarnkrok has recorded 136 goals and 301 points across 699 games played.

The Maple Leafs have also recalled defenceman Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, the team announced Monday.

Marshall Rifai was also assigned to the AHL in a corresponding move.

The news comes after Toronto placed defenceman Chris Tanev on injured reserve Sunday. Tanev has missed each of Toronto’s last two games after leaving the team's Feb. 25 contest against the Boston Bruins after sustaining an upper-body injury.

Mermis, 31, has played one game in the NHL this season, with the Utah Hockey Club. He has four goals and 12 points in 75 NHL games with Utah, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Arizona Coyotes.

Rifai, 26, has yet to appear in an NHL game this season, but has recorded three goals and six assists in 44 games for the Marlies.

He has played in two NHL contests over the course of his career, both coming with the Maple Leafs in the 2023-24 season.

Toronto currently occupies the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 38-20-2 record and 78 points, one clear of the second-place Florida Panthers with a game at-hand.

Florida Panthers

Newly-acquired defenceman Seth Jones participated in the Florida Panthers's morning skate on Monday.

He skated beside Niko Mikkola on the team's second pairing behind Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad. Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Kulikov rounded out the blue line pairings at practice.

Jones was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night alongside a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft. Chicago is also retaining 26 per cent of Jones' salary.

The 30-year-old has registered seven goals and 20 assists in 42 games played for Chicago this season. The 14-year NHL veteran has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks since being drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft.

The Arlington, Tex. native has recorded 97 goals and 335 assists for 432 points across 839 NHL games played in his career.

Florida takes on their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Monday night.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson is set to play Monday night against the Washington Captials after making an early exit in Saturday's 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks, TSN's Claire Hanna reports.

The 22-year-old was on the receiving end of a crosscheck to the neck from Tyler Toffoli with just two minutes remaining in regulation.

Sanderson remained down on the ice after the incident, and did not return for the remainder of the contest. Toffoli was not penalized on the play.

The Whitefish, Mont. native has scored six goals and 37 points in 58 games played for Ottawa this season.

He was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Senators in the 2020 draft, and has recorded 107 points across 214 career NHL contests.

Hanna also reports that defenceman Tyler Kleven will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Kleven left the team's Feb. 28 contest against the Winnipeg Jets with the ailment after recording just 2:25 of ice time.

The 23-year-old did not take a shift after fighting Jets captain Adam Lowry, but head coach Travis Green told reporters after the game that the injury was unrelated to the bout.

Ottawa enters play against the Capitals just two points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have placed forward Walker Duehr on waivers, TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports.

Duehr played in eight games for the Sharks this season after the team claimed him off of waivers from the Calgary Flames in January. The 27-year-old scored two goals for San Jose in 8:49 of ice time per night.

He posted one assist in 16 games with the Flames earlier this season.

In 20 games for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers this year, Duehr recorded 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points.

A native of Sioux Falls, S.D., Duehr spent the first four seasons of his career with the Flames after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent, debuting during the 2021-22 campaign. 

In 92 career games at the NHL level, the winger has scored 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points for the Flames and Sharks.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the team announced Monday.

Joel Blomqvist has been re-assigned to AHL in a corresponding move.

Jarry has struggled to a 3.31 goals-against average and an .886 save-percentage in 22 games played at the NHL level this season, prompting Pittsburgh to waive the 29-year-old in January.

He cleared waivers and was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate, where he has posted a 2.67 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 12 games played.

The Surrey, B.C. native is in the second season of a five-year, $26.875 million contract that carries an annual average cap hit of $5.38 million.

Blomqvist, like Jarry, has also struggled this season with a 3.81 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage, and was sent down after allowing six goals on 33 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.

The Finnish net-minder returns to the AHL, where we won All-Rookie honours and a second-team All-Star selection last season.

Pittsburgh, 24-29-10, occupy the bottom spot in the Metropolitan Division with 58 points this year.