Are Maple Leafs Setting the Stage for Moving Alex Kerfoot?

As the March 3 trade deadline approaches, it’s tough to know which way the Toronto Maple Leafs’ decision-making process might point. However, one potential trade chip is Swiss Army knife forward, Alex Kerfoot.

Trading Kerfoot has been on everyone’s radar for a couple of seasons now. It’s a reasonable consideration as the Maple Leafs look to improve their team heading into the postseason. From the outside, their two needs seem pretty clear. They have an emerging, but inexperienced blue line and they’d love to improve the wing position on their second line. 

If the Maple Leafs finally decide they need to lose Kerfoot, the team won’t be happy about it. He was a 51-point player last season, and he really can fit anywhere up and down the lineup. While he’s not a superstar, wherever he plays he performs. He gives the team intelligent and solid hockey. He comes to work every day and is seldom injured.

For all his positives, moving him might be seen as a necessary step if the team is to address its weaknesses. In addition, Kerfoot’s $3.5 million salary cap hit could be used to free up space for other potential acquisitions.

Ultimately, it’s up to Maple Leafs’ management to weigh the pros and cons of trading Kerfoot and decide if moving him is in the team’s best interests. Although Kerfoot might be attractive to teams looking for cost-effective players, his performance this season and his bottom-six role on the team will also impact his trade value.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Kerfoot Is More Than Worth His Salary

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While he’s a versatile player who can play a variety of different positions and contribute offensively, his overall production (thus far 25 points on the season) might not be enough to warrant much of a return.

On Wednesday, Kerfoot Played Top-Six Minutes – Good or Bad for Him?

On Wednesday (Feb. 15) against the Chicago Blackhawks, Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe moved Kerfoot up to the second line. Perhaps that move is as simple as wanting to see how he would do there. That’s happened before; Kerfoot played the wing on that line last season. 

However, at this time of the season and with the trade deadline approaching, might the change mean something more? Could the move mean that the Maple Leafs are getting ready to move him? 

This past week, Kerfoot found himself back playing top-six minutes with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Is the team showcasing him? If he wants to stay, is this move up the lineup a good or a bad thing for him?

Keefe Wanted to See Jarnkrok with Kampf and Engvall

Any NHL forward would be ecstatic to find he’s being promoted from his team’s bottom six to its top six. We’re sure Kerfoot was happy to be told he’d jump from the third line to the second. But, is there more in the wind?

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Sheldon Keefe said he made the move to see how Jarnkrok would perform with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall on the third line. That raises two questions. First, does he not like Jarnkrok’s play on the second line despite him scoring 20 points in 25 games since moving to the top six? Second, is there something in Kerfoot’s play on the third line Keefe doesn’t like?

Looking Back to Kerfoot’s Last Season

The line of Kerfoot, Tavares, and William Nylander did not have that much success last season. Kerfoot’s five-on-five numbers on that line were actually pretty decent. It was Tavares and Nylander who did not fare well with him. According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five last season, Kerfoot was plus-13 for goals for and against. At the same time, Tavares was minus-4, and Nylander was minus-7.

This season, playing primarily in the bottom six, Kerfoot has just three goals and 14 assists (for 17 points) at five-on-five. There’s also the fact that he comes with a $3.5 million salary cap hit this season and will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer. 

It is entirely possible Kerfoot’s move to the top six might be an effort to showcase him. The Maple Leafs might be trying to package him in a deal to acquire a more impactful top-six winger. In addition, putting him in that spot would be a placeholder for a new acquisition.

Kerfoot’s Contract Helps Make Him More Attractive

Kerfoot’s contract could be a help or a hindrance to trading him. On the one hand, he has a modified no-trade clause that kicked in this season. That clause allows him to submit a 10-team no-trade list.

However, according to CapFriendly, despite having a $3.5 million cap hit, his actual salary is only $750,000. Specifically, any team acquiring him would be on the hook for about 25 percent of that salary based on the fact that 25 percent of the season remains following the trade deadline. 

If the Maple Leafs are serious about going after an impact player on or before the deadline, clearing $3.5 million in cap space could be a major help.

When the Maple Leafs’ first signed Jarnkrok to a four-year $2.1 million per season deal, it was speculated that he could be a replacement for Kerfoot. This move might be a step toward that happening.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs’ fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]