Alex Kerfoot is still a Leaf and there may be a specific reason for that

After Alexander Kerfoot's disappointing Game 6 performance in Tampa back in May and another Leafs Game 7 loss, the writing seemed to be on the wall for the former Avs forward. Many had suspected that Kerfoot would be a cap casualty this summer, but here we are most of the way through September, with Kerfoot still a member of the Leafs during training camp and preparing for a preseason double-header against Ottawa tonight.

During a "That's Hockey" segment between TSN's Jermaine Franklin and Mike Johnson, they spoke of the tremendous gains of Mitch Marner this summer, coming in almost 10 pounds heavier than he was last season, but they also touched on a potential plan for the Leafs down the middle of the ice - and it could involve Kerfoot.

Johnson reveals that the Leafs could be looking for someone from the third line to step up and show that they can handle legit 2nd line minutes with William Nylander and captain John Tavares, which would then allow the Leafs to roll with a formidable quartet of centers down the middle of the ice in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Alexander Kerfoot and David Kampf.

Johnson stated that Kerfoot's presence on the third line adds an element of speed and skill that isn't currently there. It also pushes Kampf into a 4th line role that could end up being a pure shutdown line, freeing up the 3rd line to still generate some offense for the Buds.


With Kerfoot potentially shifting down off the 2nd line and Kampf heading to the 4th line, that would leave Pierre Engvall and new addition Calle Jarnkrok to push for top 6 minutes. Jarnkrok spent a good chunk of his career as a top-6 forward in Nashville, so he'd likely have an edge. There's also a chance that Nick Robertson is finally ready for full-time NHL action, which could impact either the 2nd or 3rd line - or perhaps a bit of a rotation between he, Engvall and Jarnkrok in a timeshare for those spots. If that's the case, the starting forward groups could look something like this:

Bunting - Matthews - Marner

Jarnkrok - Tavares - Nylander

Robertson - Kerfoot - Engvall

Aston-Reese - Kampf - Aube-Kubel

Extras: Simmonds, Gaudette

I'd anticipate these being pretty close to what the lines may actually look like on opening night, which already looks much better than what we ended last season with.