Former Leaf speaks publicly for the first time since leaving the organization in free agency
After spending the past 4 seasons in Toronto, Alexander Kerfoot is headed to the desert. He signed a 2-year deal worth $3.5M per season with Arizona when free agency opened. Kerfoot, along with Tyson Barrie was acquired from Colorado for Nazem Kadri ahead of the 2019-2020 season.
Two seasons ago, Kerfoot set a career high in points with 51 before regressing substantially this past season, only posting 32 points. A versatile forward that can kill penalties, play on the powerplay and play all three forward positions, Kerfoot was one of Sheldon Keefe's favourite players and often elevated him in the lineup over players that were more deserving. Now in Arizona, Kerfoot spoke about his time in Toronto yesterday.
"I loved my time in Toronto. I have nothing but good things to say about the organization. When you go through periods of maybe not reaching the level of success that you want, then the organization needs to do different things. In my mind, I wanted to still have conversations. I have a lot of respect for a lot of people in that organization, but things don't always work out & with that comes new opportunities & maybe better opportunities for me. I'm looking forward to this new chapter."
Reports had indicated that the Leafs were having discussions with Kerfoot up until a few hours before he made the decision to join Arizona. To many Leaf fans, him leaving was music to our ears as he had become a whipping boy for Leaf fans alongside Justin Holl. Kerfoot will likely take on a top-six role in Arizona and mentor a larger group of younger players as Arizona looks to make the turn from rebuild to contender.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 3 | 935 ANSWERS Former Leaf speaks publicly for the first time since leaving the organization in free agency Are you going to miss Alex Kerfoot in Toronto? | ||
| Yes, very versatile player | 366 | 39.1 % |
| No, never did enjoy his game | 225 | 24.1 % |
| I'm just happy the Kadri trade saga is over | 134 | 14.3 % |
| Replacement level player. Don't care. | 210 | 22.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
