Leafs winger not expected to return next season; Insider reveals where he may sign during free agency
It is pretty much expected at this point that there will be a number of players from last year's Leafs team that won't be back in Toronto next season. One of those players is Alexander Kerfoot and, according to TSN's Darren Dreger, we may have an early indication of where Kerfoot might end up.
During an appearance on the Sekeres and Price podcast, Dreger responded to a question as to whether or not Kerfoot would hit free agency on July 1st. The NHL insider suggested that Kerfoot would indeed be moving on and that if he does make it to market on July 1st, the Vancouver Canucks make sense a potential landing spot for the B.C. native.
"As an unrestricted free agent, I would think that Alex Kerfoot would be high on [Vancouver's] list. You know, at times, he was frustrating. He was a frustrating player for the Maple Leafs, but maybe more from a fan perspective because you could see the skill set and you could see the want. At times, you could see the execution. It just seemed to be inconsistent, but he is a very versatile and serviceable forward. They played him in all situations in Toronto - top line, 2nd line, 3rd line... he can play center, he can play the wing. I can't imagine with the fact that he's a B.C. boy that the Vancouver Canucks wouldn't have him high on their radar." - Dreger on Kerfoot and a potential fit with the Canucks.
Things didn't work out between the Leafs and Kerfoot the way anyone would have hoped following the Nazem Kadri trade. In the 4 playoff runs that Kerfoot took part in with the Leafs, the team had just 1 single round win, this year against Tampa. With the lack of results, something has to give and since the Leafs aren't likely to trade a member of the core, they'll have to find ways to augment the roster elsewhere with the guys in that next tier. Unfortunately for Alex Kerfoot, that includes him, despite the fact that he's a very popular guy in the locker room.
It wasn't all bad for Kerfoot in Toronto, though, as he did reach new career highs in both assists and points in 2021-22, when he tallied 38 assists and 51 points, appearing in all 82 games. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a far less productive 2022-23 season, managing just 10 goals and 32 points in 82 games. To add insult to injury, he managed to tally just 2 points in 11 playoff games this year as well. You'd be right to expect more from a player who earned $3.5M last season.
| POLL | ||
12 JUIN | 320 ANSWERS Leafs winger not expected to return next season; Insider reveals where he may sign during free agency Will Alex Kerfoot sign in Vancouver this summer? | ||
| Yes | 212 | 66.3 % |
| No | 69 | 21.6 % |
| The Leafs will re-sign him after July 1st | 39 | 12.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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