Sheldon Keefe explains why Kerfoot is still on the top line

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been off for 3 straight days and as they prepare for their Saturday night tilt against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, there were some roster moves and line changes that were made from their victory against the New Jersey Devils.

For starters, the Leafs will be employing 11 forwards and 7 defensemen with Justin Holl serving as the spare defenseman and Michael Bunting and John Tavares rotating with wingers on the supposed "third" line. Tavares will be returning to the lineup after a 1-game absence following the hits he took against Vancouver last weekend.

As for the top-line, Sheldon Keefe doubled down on keeping Alexander Kerfoot on the wing with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He not only wanted to keep Calle Jarnkrok, William Nylander, and Sam Lafferty as his second line trio, but he is a a big fan of Kerfoot's versatility and thinks he adds a lot to the Leafs' top line.

When posed questions about the move, Keefe responded with:



Without Ryan O'Reilly for the foreseeable future and having so many able-bodied defenseman at their disposal, the Leafs could be going down this route more often - at least until the playoffs begin. Wayne Simmonds was spotted at practice earlier today and at first it seemed like he would be the 12th forward but Keefe said that Simmonds participating had more to do with wanting him to get his regular reps in at practice.

Kerfoot's name was mentioned in a lot of trade rumours leading up to the deadline, however, Keefe has been a big believer in the multi-faceted forward and a key reason as to why he's still around. He has struggled mightily at times this season offensively, as he is currently riding a 26 game stretch with 1 goal and 6 assists. On the season itself he has 7 goals and 26 points in 64 games. His defensive impacts and his transition game, though, remain solid.