Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Alex Kerfoot Trade Scenarios
Based on who the Toronto Maple Leafs signed during free agency, it’s safe to assume that Alex Kerfoot won’t be on the roster for much longer.
Alex Kerfoot has always been unjustly hated by Toronto Maple Leafs fans. After getting traded for Nazem Kadri, every fan hoped that Kerfoot would be his exact replacement. However that never happened, and never should have been expected.
Kerfoot is not the same player that Kadri is. They may play the same position, but they bring different elements to the game. Kadri is more of a pest, who will put his body on the line and has a better offensive touch, whereas Kerfoot is a solid third-line centre who can kill penalties and chip in every now and then.
I understand why fans wanted Kerfoot to be Kadri, but that was never going to happen.
Although Kerfoot has been a fine player for the Leafs, his time is up. With a $3.5M cap-hit, Toronto has a few other players lined up to take his position, who are making much less.
David Kampf, Pierre Engvall and potentially Adam Brooks are three centres who are making $1.5M AAV or less and can fill the void of Kerfoot. Kampf would be the most ideal replacement, but worst case scenario, Engvall and Brooks would be fine.
With so much bottom-six depth at centre, you could push Kerfoot to the wing in the top-six, but Michael Bunting, Nick Robertson and/or Nick Ritchie are all better and cheaper options as well.
As such, Kerfoot is now expendable and many teams should be interested in him. As a second/third-line centre or winger, Kerfoot is a good piece on a hockey team, but unfortunately that team isn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs anymore.
Here are three potential trades involving Alex Kerfoot.
No. 1: The Nashville Trade
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mattias Ekholm
- Nashville Predators acquire: Alex Kerfoot, Mikhail Abramov and 2022 2nd Round Pick (*If Ekholm re-signs in Toronto*)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumored to Ekholm for the past year and it makes sense why. The 31-year-old is a big-body defenseman who puts up big-time points.
At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Ekholm’s like a poor-man’s Dougie Hamilton. He’s not quite as big or doesn’t quite score as many goals, but at $3.75M AAV, I’d rather have him on my team than Hamilton’s $9M.
Ekholm would also make a great Leaf, based on his playoff experience. With 71 playoff games under his belt and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, that experience would be great in the room. Jake Muzzin is currently the only other defenseman to have played in a Final, so any extra experience is crucial in those big games.
Since Nashville is rebuilding and Ekholm is a pending UFA, they may be inclined to trade him, if they’re getting a player with term in return. Kerfoot would help a low-scoring Predators team in the top-six or as a third-line centre, so this could be a good trade for both parties.
Who knows if that’s enough to get Ekholm to Toronto but another big-body player on the blue-line would be great for the Leafs.
No. 2: The Kapanen/Johnsson Approach
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: 2022 2nd Round Pick
- New Jersey Devils acquire: Alex Kerfoot
The New Jersey Devils have salary cap space to acquire a player without giving one up, so this could help solve a problem for both clubs.
The Devils have a few good pieces but are probably another 1-2 years from making the playoffs. Signing Dougie Hamilton was a big move for the club, but it’s not going to be the difference-maker from being a rebuilder to contender.
As a result, they could be intrigued at Kerfoot and what he brings to their team. New Jersey’s depth at centre is pretty weak, so Kerfoot would probably be a second-line centre on their squad and could really help their roster.
Not only would this help New Jersey, but it would help free space for the Leafs. If David Kampf and/or Pierre Engvall can play third and fourth-line centre and Michael Bunting and Nick Ritchie fit on the top-six wing, there’s no room for Kerfoot anywhere.
Instead of just keeping him as your third-line centre, it makes way more sense to trade him and get $3.5M in cap-space back to acquire someone who will help their roster much more.
No. 3: The LA Trade
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Dustin Brown (25% retained)
- LA Kings acquire: Alex Kerfoot, Ondrej Kase and 2023 4th Round Pick
This is a win-now type of trade and who knows if it would even be enough to get it done, however it’s fun to discuss.
Dustin Brown is a winner and although he’s 36-years-old, he probably has 1-2 really good years left in the tank. Brown can still score 20-goals a season and would look very good beside John Tavares and William Nylander.
Brown is a leader and as a two-time Stanley Cup champion, he would demand respect in the dressing room and could be an influential piece in getting this team over the edge. Brown is different than the Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds and Jason Spezza type’s who Toronto has brought in, in the past, because he’s a former captain of a team that actually won and can still play at a high-level.
Brown’s $5.8M AAV is tough for one season, but with Kerfoot and Kase going the other way, it’s possible to make the money work. Also, if LA retained 25% of this deal, then it would definitely work.
Next. 4 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make Leafs. dark
It’s possible that Brown would want to stay in LA and finish his career there, after having so much success, but it’s also possible that he would want one more run at a Stanley Cup in a great hockey market. With his old teammates Jack Campbell and Jake Muzzin already in Toronto, that may be enough to sway him to join them and take one last crack at a ring.