Toronto Maple Leafs winger Calle Järnkrok underwent surgery groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday and is listed as month-to-month as he recovers, the team announced.
Järnkrok, 33, has yet to play a game this season. He was placed on long-term injury reserve in early October ahead of Toronto’s opener against Montreal.
Järnkrok appeared in 52 games with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23, scoring 10 goals and finishing with 21 points. He went scoreless in seven playoff games. He has two years remaining on his contract, with an average annual value of $2.1 million.
Toronto captain and star Auston Matthews is also expected to remain sidelined and miss his seventh-straight game on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthews hasn’t played since Nov. 3 against the Minnesota Wild due to an undisclosed injury.
“It’s a little bit of a holding pattern, but [Matthews] is not getting worse, so that’s a good thing,” head coach Craig Berube said on Monday. “It’s just taking time. It’s taking long, but it is what it is.”
The Maple Leafs are expected to exercise caution with their star centre, with only three games scheduled in the next 12 days. Toronto is 5-1 without Matthews this season and enters Wednesday on a two-game win streak.
Matthews has five goals and 11 points across 13 games, his first year as Maple Leafs’ captain.
