Toronto Maple Leafs might be looking to move one of Alex Kerfoot, Justin Holl, or Pierre Engvall to free up budget space.
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following the execution of yet another landmark agreement between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. The organization needs to free up some cash from the books in order to activate goaltender Matt Murray off of long-term injured reserve, so the focus now switches to who on the roster is leaving. After the transaction to acquire Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, hockey insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff made an effort to make connections, suggesting that the Leafs might be looking to move one of Alex Kerfoot, Justin Holl, or Pierre Engvall to free up budget space.
The history of the players mentioned above reveals that Kerfoot enjoys Sheldon Keefe’s confidence and has never been substituted or scratched. Yet Holl and Engvall have both been asked to sit down and restart their games. But, Kerfoot appears to be on the Vancouver Canucks’ watch list, so there is a chance that he will be transferred rather than Engvall and Holl, according to Seravalli. That being said, it would appear that the Maple Leafs appreciate Kerfoot’s versatility because he plays on many different lines, as well as the wing and up the center.
Connor Timmins and Timothy Liljegren have contracts that last through the 2023–24 season, and when those contracts expire, both blueliners will be restricted free agents. This indicates that both defensemen are very much in the team’s hands and are a part of the Leafs’ long-term goals. On the other hand, the 31-year-old Holl is an unrestricted free agent and not a player I would re-sign in the summer.
The Maple Leafs must carefully consider their options in light of his uneven play, careless errors, and lack of composure under pressure. Timmins, Liljegren, and TJ Brodie can all play the right side, so Dubas needs to aim to add a right-handed defenseman to his group if a transaction happens to be completed before the March 3 deadline.
Alex Kerfoot was listed as No. 17 on Frank Seravalli’s trade board from The Daily Faceoff, which was published on Thursday. Kerfoot makes $3.5 million and is currently playing on the fourth line. Kyle Dubas, general manager of the Leafs, has no real desire to trade any of the players already on the roster. However there are some urgent actions that must be taken. Compared to Kerfoot, Pierre Engvall has been a decent depth player. He is also less expensive. Dubas would have some flexibility if Kerfoot were moved, as Engvall only makes $2.25 million for Toronto.
Despite Ilya Samsonov’s generally solid performance in net, adding Murray does assist Toronto’s depth in goal. Given that Jake Muzzin is gone for the remainder of the season, the Leafs need to locate a replacement defender. To give Toronto some cap space to make a deal, getting Kerfoot’s agreement off the record would be a good idea.
The intriguing aspect of this transaction is that the Maple Leafs now have eight NHL defensemen, and since McCabe is practically an upgrade over Holl, it appears as though he may be transferred before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3, 2023.
