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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — Alex Kerfoot can easily adapt to changes on the ice. Not so much in the equipment room. 

The Maple Leafs’ forward had been stubbornly attached to the same unique candy cane-style tape job on his stick since college. For years he contemplated a new look, but it wasn’t until now that Kerfoot finally made the move.

“It's gone; I just wanted to get rid of it,” Kerfoot said after the Leafs’ morning skate on Wednesday, ahead of facing Ottawa in their third preseason game. “I like the new [design] and it just feels better. I tried it throughout the summer. I had tried getting away from [the candy cane] in the past, but it just didn't feel right. I tried to stick with it a little bit longer, but it feels good now [to change].”

Kerfoot has been more enthusiastic about accepting adjustments to his role, and that’s part of what makes him so valuable in Toronto. The 27-year-old has been able to transition seamlessly from centre to the wing for Toronto ever since being acquired via a trade with Colorado in July 2019. 

That versatility has come in handy for coach Sheldon Keefe on multiple occasions. Whether necessitated by injuries or simply to refresh Toronto’s lineup, Keefe can always count on Kerfoot to perform wherever he’s assigned. 

“That's one thing that Kerf has done a really good job of with us, is being able to execute in various roles,” Keefe said. “I really don’t [have a preference for his position]. I like him in both. And he’s also just willing. He's a team-first guy where, whatever the coach asks of him or whatever the team requires, he's there to go out and do it. I thought he did a remarkable job for us last season [by] elevating and performing the way that he did.”

Kerfoot had to pivot particularly fast last spring during the postseason. When John Tavares was injured in Game 1 of the Leafs’ first-round playoff series against Montreal, Kerfoot went from playing on the wing with Riley Nash to centering different lines. The Harvard graduate averaged 17 minutes and 11 seconds per game of ice time and netted one goal and six points in that series before Toronto's playoff run ended with a Game 7 loss. 

In the aftermath of that defeat, Kerfoot faced both disappointment in how the season played out and anxiety over his future. Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas opted to leave Kerfoot exposed in the expansion draft, and the thought of being selected to the Seattle Kraken was constantly on Kerfoot’s mind.

His anxiousness wasn’t helped when a viral fish-throwing video purported to show Kerfoot as the Kraken’s pick from Toronto. 

That ultimately wasn’t the case (Jared McCann ended up being chosen) and Kerfoot could finally breathe easy. 

“I couldn't control much of it,” he said of the expansion draft process. “The organization is really open here. They let me know what was going on throughout the whole process and when it all got settled and I found out I was coming back here I couldn't have been happier, and I realized how fortunate I am to be back with the team.”

Dubas went about improving the Leafs’ overall forward depth in the off-season by signing David Kampf, Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie and Michael Bunting to free-agent contracts. Now that Toronto is a week into training camp and nearly halfway through the exhibition schedule, Keefe is starting to put the puzzle pieces together for a regular-season roster. 

At the moment, he’s not sure exactly where Kerfoot will end up. 

“I feel comfortable playing David Kampf against anybody at any time; that’s going to help manage the minutes of [Auston] Matthews and Tavares,” said Keefe. “So, that can open things up in terms of opportunities for how we use Kerfoot, and I've talked to Kerfy to say we want to let that play out a little bit. We've got him in the middle and I like him there to begin, but the fact that I know we can move him around if needed is a nice option for me to have.”

Kerfoot’s responsiveness to new things opened Keefe up to the idea of testing him on the penalty kill, too. It’s not something Kerfoot had ever been involved with before, but true to form Kerfoot quickly carved out a niche.

Last season, he was averaging 1:31 per game shorthanded, and Keefe dubbed Kerfoot one of the team’s most “responsible and reliable penalty killers.”

The overall numbers weren’t great for Toronto’s kill last year though, as evidenced by its 24th-place finish (78.5 per cent). Since then, the Leafs have lost Zach Hyman - their top penalty-killing forward - to Edmonton in free agency. New assistant coach Dean Chynoweth is in charge of turning things around for the kill this year, and Kerfoot likes the attitude being implemented.

“I think it’s just about a little more aggressiveness,” Kerfoot said. “That’s something that [Chynoweth] has preached from day one. And there's some certain structural things that he'll tweak, but the main focus is just to be more aggressive and if we're going to get beat, we're going to get beat through aggressiveness, not through passiveness.”

Given all Kerfoot does, the thought of not having him in the mix at all admittedly caused Keefe some anxiety. But the expansion draft came and went, leaving Keefe with a player he truly covets. 

“The fact that it worked out to be able to keep him around [was great], because of all the things he does [for us],” Keefe said. “But also because of what it means to the team and to his teammates. Kerf is a very, very popular guy in our room. It's nice to see him back.”