Insider reports that the Leafs have circled back on two pending UFAs who were expected to walk

This morning, TSN's Darren Dreger has reported that the Leafs are also engaged in extension talks with two other forwards, one of which might surprise and possibly upset Leaf fans. Dreger is reporting that the Leafs are currently engaged with David Kampf and Alexander Kerfoot about returning next season. Dreger also mentioned that Kampf is the priority for the Leafs, and understandably so. He is an excellent faceoff man, a top penalty killer and is excellent in his own zone. He is also trusted by Sheldon Keefe to help get the Leafs out of trouble and drive play in the right direction.

Kampf is coming off of a bargain 2-year deal that saw him earn just $1.5M per season and will likely be looking for a bit of raise. Evolving Hockey has a projected AAV for him at just over $2M on a 3-year term. Kerfoot, on the other hand, is coming off of a terrible season production wise and was earning $3.5M per season. After recording a career high 51 points in 2021-2022, Kerfoot was only able to produce 32 points in 82 games this past season. While he is a utility player who can play all forward positions and up and down the lineup, he has also been a polarizing player like Justin Holl. He has his good moments and bad moments, but like Holl, when he has a bad moment, it's usually a very costly and egregious error.

Evolving Hockey projects Kerfoot's next contract to surprisingly be more than his previous one coming at at just under $3.9M per season on a 4-year term. Personally, I think that is a little rich for a guy coming off of a 32 point season and, at one point, had scored just 1 goal in 26 games. Kampf, on the other hand, is a solid fourth line center that provides a stable presence in the defensive zone and gives the Leafs needed depth down the middle.