The Arizona Coyotes went out and signed a handful of new forwards one of them being former Toronto Maple Leaf, Alexander Kerfoot. While Kerfoot’s one goal, five assists and six points don’t really jump off as all that impressive, he is more valuable to the Coyotes than many people may think. The 29-year-old forward has become one of the Coyotes best penalty killers through the start of this season. At the surface, the role of a penalty killer seems simple, but it’s really not. Kerfoot puts his body on the line each and every night, blocking shots while using his speed and stick effectively to disrupt the opposing team’s power play. André Tourigny spoke following the Coyotes 2-0 victory over the Golden Knights. Since Barrett Hayton went down with an upper-body injury, Kerfoot has taken his spot on the first wave of the power play. He may not have the puck on his stick all that often on the man advantage, but Kerfoot serves a critical role playing in front of the net and is never afraid to get into the dirty areas similar to Hayton. The fact that Kerfoot plays on both the penalty kill and power play should already show fans how valuable he truly is. Kerfoot is also versatile as he has been slotted at the wing and down the middle which really helps the Coyotes especially since they have been forced to deal with a number of injuries and continue to make constant changes to the lineup. Through the first 20 games, Kerfoot has played alongside almost every forward on the Coyotes. This is because his game translates well with almost anybody he is paired with. Over the course of the season, Kerfoot’s numbers have only gone up. In Arizona’s last game on Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, Kerfoot played a season high 19:43 minutes. Maybe Kerfoot doesn't play the most flashy game, but he impacts the Coyotes in ways that fans are unable to see but is extremely valuable.
