Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 UFA Centres Who Could Replace Alex Kerfoot

The Toronto Maple Leafs are more than likely going to lose Alex Kerfoot in the Seattle Expansion Draft this offseason.

Alex Kerfoot seems to have a love-hate relationship with many Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Some appreciate his skillset as someone who can play defensive hockey, contribute on the penalty kill and chip in a few goals, while others wish he was Nazem Kadri.

When you get traded for one of the most beloved Leafs of the past decade, it’s always tough to live up to expectations. However, Kerfoot is nothing like Kadri, so it was an unfair comparison for anyone who ever thought he’d bring a similar style.

During his last two seasons in Toronto, his goal production has dropped from his Colorado numbers. That makes sense because he wasn’t asked to be as productive as he was with the Avalanche. Kerfoot’s role was to be a defensive third-line centre and to play the penalty kill, as we mentioned earlier.

In my opinion, I think he did a fine job and was a good player in that role, but at the same time, $3.5M seems like too big of a contract for him. When I think of Kerfoot, I put him in a similar spot as Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.

All three of those players are fine pieces, but they were making too much money for what they provide. On a very good team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, they look way better than they are because they’re playing with elite forwards like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. However, when they play on a bad team like Johnsson on the New Jersey Devils, they only score five goals in 50 games.

Toronto is in a great spot when it comes to their forward positions and they don’t need a 30-goal scorer as their third-line centre. They need someone with either speed and/or grit, who can play the penalty kill, potentially help on the second powerplay unit and be defensively responsible.

If the Leafs are going to get far in the playoffs, their big-boy’s are going to have to carry the load. Instead of having a $3.5M cap-hit as your third line centre, you’d be better off with a $1.5-2M player, so you can sign a $5M left-winger to play in the top-six.

Since Toronto’s more than likely going to lose Kerfoot in the Expansion Draft, here are three potential replacements.

No. 1: Nick Bonino

The 33-year-old centre is coming off a $4.1M cap-hit, which was well deserved at the time. Prior to signing a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators, he’d just won back-to-back Stanley Cup’s with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was a good piece for them.

In fact, during Pittsburgh’s championship in the 2015-16 season, Bonino finished third on the team in playoff scoring, right behind Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby (stats: hockeydb.com). Even though it was technically their third line, the “HBK Line” of Bonino, Kessel and Carl Hagelin ended up being the most important trio for the Penguins and a key reason why they won the championship.

Although Bonino is a few years removed from those magical days in Pittsburgh, his game is still productive. Even in a shortened 55-game season, he scored 10 goals on a low-scoring Minnesota Wild team, which ranked him seventh on the roster.

As shown by those days on the “HBK Line” Bonino has no issue playing with fast-skating players. Toronto’s team is filled with quickness, so he’d pair especially well beside someone like Ilya Mikheyev, who’s very speedy.

After experiencing success in Pittsburgh, it may be easy to convince Bonino to come to Toronto to replicate what he did with the Penguins. Also, based on his age and the salary cap staying flat, you’d probably be able to sign him for something between $2-3M, which would be a great addition.

No. 2: Casey Cizikas

It’ll be incredibly interesting to see what type of contract Cizikas is looking for on the open-market. He’s currently coming off a $3.35M deal and has been very effective during the contract, but he’s primarily a fourth-line player.

Although he’s arguably the best fourth-line player on the top fourth-line in all of hockey, that’s still a ton of money to provide someone who plays 13 minutes per night.

If Cizikas is looking for a raise, he probably wouldn’t work in Toronto. However, if he’s more concerned about financial security on a five or six year deal, both parties may be able to come to an agreement.

Cizikas had a breakout year in 2018-19 when he scored 20 goals, but that’s not the type of player you’d expect. Instead, he typically scores less than 10 goals per year, but is a huge contributor based on his size and physicality. He’s going to win more faceoffs than he loses and is going to be a reliable player defensively.

If the Leafs want Cizikas to join their team, they have something that the New York Islanders can’t offer and that’s a homecoming. Although New York has been home for him since 2011, Toronto is where he grew up and played his minor hockey.

Every kid from the Greater Toronto Area dreams of playing for the Leafs one day, so it’s quite possible that he’d be interested in a little bit of a pay-cut to have that opportunity. The Islanders may have made it to back-to-back Conference Championship’s but the thought of them doing that again seems pretty unrealistic, while Toronto seems like they have a better chance at doing so.

Also, it would be hilarious if the Toronto Maple Leafs stole away another beloved centre from the Islanders because they wanted to play for their hometown team…