Toronto Maple Leafs Rumour: Are the Canucks Interested In Kerfoot?

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alex Kerfoot was recently mentioned in an article on a British Columbia news website.

Ben Kuzma mentions in his article from June 10th, that Alex Kerfoot could be a player that the Vancouver Canucks target to address their depth up the middle.

Vancouver is still unsure if they want to bring back pending unrestricted free agent Brandon Sutter. If the team does lose Sutter to free agency, they will need to find a new third-line center.

Kerfoot is a Vancouver native, and the This is where Kerfoot comes in. Vancouver was very interested in Kerfoot back in 2017 when he was a free agent out of Harvard University. Kerfoot met with the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche and ultimately chose the Avalanche.

Kerfoot is a Vancouver native, and the Cancuks would like to shake things up after things did not work out well for them in the shortened 2021 season.

Alex Kerfoot and the Toronto Maple Leafs

Kerfoot played two seasons with the Avalanche and recorded 34 goals and 51 assists for 85 points in 157 games. He also recorded five playoff points in 18 playoff games.

On July 1st, 2019, Kerfoot was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Tyson Barrie, and a 2020 sixth-round pick for Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen, and a 2020 third-round pick. (All stats hockeyreference.com).

Kerfoot did not have a great start to his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He seemed to have trouble adapting to his new team and the systems in place by coach Mike Babcock.

He seemed to play better after Babcock was fired and Sheldon Keefe took over as head coach. Keefe noticed this and used Kerfoot pretty regularly in the 2020 playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In that playoff series, he averaged more than 15 minutes a game, and also showed off his physical side. He recorded three points in those five games along with eight hits and ten blocked shots.

During the 2021 shortened regular season, Kerfoot looked more comfortable and seemed to be back on his regular scoring pace.  He had 23 points in 56 games this season, compared to 28 points in 65 games last season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Should Trade Kerfoot

There are a few reasons why the Toronto Maple Leafs should trade Kerfoot this summer.  The first reason is the fact that he will likely not be protected during the NHL expansion draft.

It would be a better option for Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas to trade Kerfoot for a draft pick or prospect than to lose him to the Seattle Kraken for nothing in return.

A trade involving Kerfoot going to the Canucks could help Dubas in two ways. He could receive a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, which is something he currently does not have. The trade would also free up $3.5 million in cap space which would also help Dubas during this summer’s free agency period.

A quick look at capfriendly.com shows that if we add Kerfoot’s $3.5 million to the $12.5 million Toronto is projected to have, that would give Dubas $16 million is cap space to try and upgrade the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vancouver could be a good starting point as the Leafs explore their summer options.