3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Be Drafted By Seattle Kraken

No. 2: Alex Kerfoot

By acquiring McCann, the Leafs will now have their third-line centre lined up for next season regardless of what happens in the Expansion Draft. The Leafs probably thought they were going to lose Kerfoot, so they acquired McCann to replace him, but if Seattle picks McCann instead, then the Leafs will have Kerfoot back, who they’re comfortable with.

Kyle Dubas deserves a gold-star for that move, because it’s a win-win for him no matter who Seattle selects.

Kerfoot is a responsible two-way centre, who can kill penalties, chip in with a few goals, but plays with speed.

Fans irrationally criticize Kerfoot because they want him to be more like Nazem Kadri, but that’s always been a terrible comparison. Just because you get traded for someone, doesn’t mean you’re supposed to replace them the exact same way. Kadri also got suspended once again in the playoffs, so trading him was the right decision, despite him being a fan-favorite.

Kerfoot hasn’t shown that he’s a 20-goal scorer in the NHL yet, but if he were selected to Seattle and played on the second-line instead of the third-line, it’s possible he gets there. He has enough tools to score, but has been slotted on a shutdown role with the Leafs over the past two years.

Losing Kerfoot would sting, but it would also be fine, because the team now has McCann. The same logic applies if the Kraken select McCann, because Kerfoot is a great option if he returned as the Leafs third-line centre next year.