Utah Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney, Place Alexander Kerfoot On IR
The Utah Mammoth announced today that they have placed forward Alexander Kerfoot on injured reserve. He’s out with an upper-body injury on a week-to-week basis.
In a corresponding move, the club recalled forward Kevin Rooney from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Kerfoot left Utah’s Friday game against the St. Louis Blues after suffering the injury. This isn’t Kerfoot’s first week-to-week absence of the season. He underwent core muscle surgery in October and it cost him the start of the season. He made his 2025-26 debut on Dec. 19.
Things weren’t quite right for Kerfoot even after his original activation off of IR. He only managed one goal for one point in nine games, and he only played 10:20 time on ice per game. Kerfoot averaged 15:15 time on ice per game in 2024-25.
A key penalty killer for the Mammoth, Kerfoot has typically been good for steady middle-six production over the course of his NHL career.
He scored 45 points in the final season of the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, but that production didn’t carry over to Utah as he took on a more defensive role.
Now slated to miss at least a few weeks, the Mammoth will turn to Rooney to fill Kerfoot’s vacated fourth-line spot in head coach Andre Tourigny’s lineup.
The 32-year-old is a veteran of over 300 NHL games and skated in 70 games for the Calgary Flames last season. He’s scored 10 points in 20 games at the AHL level this season and has a goal in his lone NHL contest of 2025-26.
Rooney is playing out a one-year, league-minimum two-way contract, one that carries a $325K AHL salary. If Rooney gets an extended look on the NHL roster as a result of Kerfoot’s absence, that run of NHL games would hold significant financial benefits for the veteran forward.
For Kerfoot, while these injuries are undoubtedly frustrating from an on-ice perspective, the financial implications of the injury are also unfortunate. Kerfoot is a pending UFA, and this injury will now set back his efforts to put together the kind of production fans grew accustomed to seeing from him in Arizona and Toronto.
Now 31 years old, Kerfoot has a chance to be one of the better center-capable players on this summer’s open market. This injury is certainly a setback, but he should still have a chance to return to the ice and string together some quality games to end his platform season on as high a note as possible.
Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Alexander Kerfoot Undergoes Procedure, To Miss 8-10 Weeks
The Utah Mammoth announced that center Alexander Kerfoot underwent a successful procedure stemming from his lower body injury, and will miss the next 8-10 weeks.
Kerfoot’s ailment was first noted last month which kept him out of training camp. Now Utah, off to an impressive 6-2 start this season, knows the fate of the veteran and will look to keep up the momentum in his absence. As noted by the team, the medical procedure was to repair a core muscle injury.
The Vancouver native was inked to another year in Utah last March, at a value of $3MM. Originally arriving to the organization after several years in Toronto on a two-year deal, Kerfoot was a valuable member of the Coyotes in their final season, posting 45 points, setting a career high in total ice time, and even receiving votes for the Selke (top defensive forward) as an honorable mention fringe candidate.
Since then in Utah, Kerfoot’s role fell slightly last year, due to the emergence of several young talented forwards in the organization. However, obviously as the team brought him back, the Mammoth value the 31-year-old’s leadership and two-way prowess. On such a new team with youth throughout, he is actually among the team’s oldest and most tenured NHL forwards.
A highly durable player who had missed just one regular season game since 2020-21, the hope will certainly be that Utah can continue to excel without Kerfoot, and that he will join in mid-late December set to hit the ground running into 2026.
Alexander Kerfoot Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
The Utah Mammoth have now lost another bottom-six forward due to injury for the next couple of weeks. A few days after sharing that Liam O’Brien is out with a lower-body injury, the Mammoth announced this morning that Alexander Kerfoot is also out with a lower-body injury, on the same recovery timeline.
Unlike O’Brien, Kerfoot comes with more offensive punch, though his production dipped considerably last season. The first year after signing a two-year, $7MM contract with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, Kerfoot scored 13 goals and 45 points in 82 games, averaging 17:26 of ice time in a second-line role.
After the Utah Hockey Club was established, the organization graduated several high-level prospects, which pushed Kerfoot to a third-line role last year. His offensive production decreased alongside his reduced ice time, finishing the season with 11 goals and 28 points in 81 games, while averaging 15:15 of ice time per night.
Still, there were a few reasons for optimism. Although he didn’t spend the entire campaign down the middle, Kerfoot finished with a 52.5% success rate in the faceoff dot over 493 draws, the second-highest mark of his career. Furthermore, he concluded the 2025-26 season with a 52.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, representing the best output of his career.
There’s no indication at this time that O’Brien or Kerfoot’s injuries will cut into their availability for the regular season. Still, should any more players succumb to multi-week injuries, the Mammoth’s depth could be tested out of the gate.
Utah Signs Alexander Kerfoot To One-Year Extension
After signing Olli Maatta to an extension back on Monday, Utah HC has taken another pending UFA off the market for this summer. The team announced that they’ve signed center Alexander Kerfoot to a one-year contract extension. While the financial terms weren’t disclosed by the team, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the deal will pay Kerfoot $3MM. GM Bill Armstrong released the following statement about the signing:
We are very pleased for Alex to remain in Utah. Alex is an important leader for our group with his versatility on the ice and leadership off the ice, and we look forward to having his continued contribution as we fight down the stretch to make the playoffs.
The 30-year-old is in his second year with the organization going back to his time in Arizona. But those two seasons have had considerably different trajectories. Last year with the Coyotes, Kerfoot had the second-best offensive season of his career, tallying 13 goals and 32 assists in 82 games while logging a career-best 17:26 per night. It looked like he’d be well on his way toward a long-term deal on his next contract if he could even match that level of performance.
But instead of producing at a similar level in 2024-25, Kerfoot’s output has dipped to the lowest levels of his eight-year NHL career. Through 61 outings this season, he has just seven goals and nine assists while his playing time has dropped by more than two minutes a game. While he is winning more than 50% of his faceoffs for the first time since his sophomore season, it’s fair to say his stock around the league has taken a hit.
To that end, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that Kerfoot opted to take just a one-year deal now, giving himself a chance at rebuilding some value before potentially taking a run at the 2026 free agent market when another big jump in the salary cap is expected. He’s also taking a small cut in pay in the process to stick around; next season will be the first time since the 2018-19 campaign that he hasn’t carried a $3.5MM charge against the salary cap.
With the signing, Utah now has $73.5MM in commitments for next season to 18 players, per PuckPedia. Those numbers could go up soon enough if they’re able to get goaltender Karel Vejmelka locked down on an extension, an outcome he’s known to be seeking.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Central Notes: Coyotes, Kovalenko, Zaitsev
The Coyotes had a fairly underwhelming trade deadline after getting minimal returns for Mathew Dumba and Jason Zucker but as PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan notes, GM Bill Armstrong did not have the green light to retain salary which certainly restricted their options on the trade front to teams who had the cap space to take on the full contract of which there were few.
Meanwhile, Armstrong indicated that there was strong interest in centers Nick Bjugstad and Alexander Kerfoot along with winger Michael Carcone. All three players have one year left on their respective contracts and are at price tags that range from below market value to affordable so it’s no surprise teams were calling the Coyotes about those players. Clearly, there wasn’t an offer to their liking so all three remain in Arizona, at least for now.
More from the Central:
- Avalanche prospect Nikolai Kovalenko left his KHL playoff finale today with what looked to be a knee issue, notes Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. The 24-year-old had another productive year with KHL Torpedo, notching 35 points in 42 games while on loan from Colorado. Kovalenko is on an NHL contract and has widely been expected to make the jump and play out the stretch with the Avs. That is, as long as this injury doesn’t change those plans.
- The Blackhawks will welcome back defenseman Nikita Zaitsev tonight against Washington, relays Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 32-year-old had missed the last 19 games with a knee injury and bone fracture. Zaitsev has played in 26 games so far this season, recording two goals and five assists along with 52 blocks and 55 hits. Meanwhile, his average ice time is down to 15:56 per night, a career low. That’s not exactly the ideal platform season that Zaitsev was looking for as he’ll be hitting unrestricted free agency in July.
Arizona Coyotes Extend Bill Armstrong
The Arizona Coyotes announced this morning that they have extended the contract of general manager Bill Armstrong. Financial terms and the length of the multi-year agreement were not released. The deal comes on the heels of what was a very busy summer for Armstrong and the Coyotes as they have added a lot of talent to their NHL roster including veterans Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi, Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad.
PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan later reported Armstrong is now under contract for six more seasons – Armstrong signed a four-year extension, while the team picked up a previously existing option for 2024-25. He’s now under contract through the 2028-29 campaign.
The 53-year-old has been the Coyotes general manager since the 2020-21 season and has overseen a rather large rebuild during that time. Armstrong essentially stripped the Coyotes roster down to the studs and rebuilt it through drafting, trades, and free agency. Prior to joining Arizona, the Richmond Hill, Ontario, native worked in the St. Louis Blues’ scouting department from 2004-18. It wasn’t until the 2018-19 season that he earned a promotion to assistant GM before eventually joining Arizona.
The Coyotes have not qualified for the playoffs since Armstrong took over, and the team has only made the playoffs a total of four times since 2004. While they are once again going through a lean period, Arizona looks to be on the verge of a good run of hockey in the desert. Should they stay there.
The team will likely get a jolt from this summer’s signings and trades as well as top prospect Logan Cooley, who could be a difference-maker in Arizona as early as this season.
The signing of the coaching staff, Armstrong, and the player acquisitions this summer show stability within the hockey operations of Arizona, even if the team’s future off the ice is up in the air.
Snapshots: Marchessault, Ellis, Kerfoot
During the Vegas Golden Knights run to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, forward Jonathan Marchessault played a vital role in that effort. Finishing as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup playoffs, Marchessault has cemented himself as a fan and locker room favorite in Vegas. With one year remaining on his current contract with the club, Marchessault should be one of the more important extension candidates for the team.
In an interview with TVA Sports, Marchessault spoke on extension talks, and also his relationship with head coach Bruce Cassidy. In his article on this relationship, Chris Gawlik of VegasHockeyNow reports a quote from Marchessault saying, “It hasn’t always been the rainbow and the good weather between us. We got into each other a couple of times, on the bench, during games, during the playoffs. But I think he wanted the best out of me and we managed to be able to work together“. Although interesting, it is hardly a surprising take from Marchessault, as Cassidy was regularly noted as an incredibly difficult coach to play for during his time with the Boston Bruins.
On the extension front, it does not sound like anything is close between the two parties. Marchessault said, “There are no negotiations that have been done. I know that sometimes the Golden Knights like to take their time with that. We will see what it will give“. Over the years, the Knights have been known to move some of their veteran original members, such as Reilly Smith and Marc-Andre Fleury, and if an extension cannot be agreed upon at a reasonable price for both player and team, Vegas may need to make another difficult decision with Marchessault this upcoming season.
Other snapshots:
- Speaking with the new President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers, Keith Jones, Adam Kimelman of the NHL reports that Jones firmly believes that the playing days of defenseman Ryan Ellis are over. Due to a back injury, Ellis has only been able to suit up in four games for the Flyers during the 2021-22 season and missed the entirety of last year. Ellis still has four years and $25MM remaining on his current contract and will spend the rest of that time on LTIR if his contract is not moved off the team before then.
- One of the several signings made by the Arizona Coyotes this offseason, Alexander Kerfoot is more than excited to get started with his new club. Speaking with Patrick Brown of the NHL, Kerfoot shed some light on his choosing Arizona over other offers saying, “It just feels like they’re in a different spot now. It feels like they’re trying to take the next step. Being part of that change and helping grow the culture is fun to be a part of. Things are trending really well for this group, and I’m happy to be part of it“. It is hard to envision the Coyotes returning to the playoffs anytime within the next two years, but they have set themselves up nicely by developing their core players and bringing in solid auxiliary pieces.
Arizona Coyotes To Sign Alexander Kerfoot
The Arizona Coyotes are locking in former Toronto Maple Leafs center Alexander Kerfoot for the next two seasons at a $3.5MM cap hit, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports.
It’s another significant free-agent loss for Toronto today, who will undoubtedly be looking to add some reinforcements to their top nine in the coming days. For Kerfoot, though, he’ll continue to make the salary he’s made for the past four seasons with fewer taxes in the desert.
Kerfoot’s been a controversial player during his time in Toronto, with very few overtly impressed with his play. He provided immense defensive value this season, though, and he does have 45-50 point upside if given the opportunity to produce.
He could very well glean that opportunity in Arizona, potentially even slotting in as a center between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Even if not, he’ll get the opportunity to play with some other up-and-coming talents like Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther, receiving plenty of ice time in the process.
Kerfoot will be a UFA again in 2025 at the age of 30.
Atlantic Notes: Andersen, Kerfoot, Panthers UFAs
Goaltender Frederik Andersen‘s future with the Carolina Hurricanes remains uncertain, as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests the Danish netminder is likely to test the UFA market today. While the door isn’t entirely closed on a return to the Hurricanes, speculations have surfaced about potential landing spots for the experienced netminder, including the Ottawa Senators, who Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch says will be calling when the market opens at 11 am CT.
As Garrioch notes, Andersen played under Senators head coach D.J. Smith when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Smith was an assistant for part of Andersen’s tenure. The team is looking for a veteran to supplement Anton Forsberg in the crease after deciding not to re-sign Cam Talbot, as well as providing insurance for young third-string netminder Mads Sogaard – another Dane to whom Andersen would provide invaluable mentorship.
Per LeBrun, the Pittsburgh Penguins could also attempt to sign Andersen if re-signing Tristan Jarry falls through. The Senators, on the other hand, are also still holding discussions with Travis Hamonic, but Garrioch says it’s unclear in which direction negotiations are headed.
More from the Atlantic Division this morning:
- After a four-season stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, forward Alexander Kerfoot is set to hit the open market, per Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. While there is a possibility of a potential return to Toronto, it hinges on the financial demands that Kerfoot’s new contract may entail – they’re not willing to overpay on market value to retain him and would rather keep their salary cap flexibility open to get some new names on the UFA market. After being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 Nazem Kadri trade, Kerfoot totaled 40 goals, 94 assists, and 134 points in 285 games for Toronto in a middle-six role.
- The Florida Panthers are gearing up for free agency, with their main focus on strengthening their defense corps, which is set to be hit with significant injuries to start 2023-24 in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. While the team aims to secure players on shorter-term contracts, two of their UFAs, Radko Gudas and Lucas Carlsson, could still receive offers to return to the Panthers, general manager Bill Zito told reporters, including The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Gudas has been an invaluable shutdown defender since joining the Panthers in 2020, also compiling over 200 penalty minutes during his time in Florida whilst in a bottom-pairing role. Carlsson, on the other hand, is likely to receive a lot of NHL interest after an impressive season with the Charlotte Checkers, leading all AHL defensemen in goals. He could vie for an everyday role out of camp, with injuries opening up roster spots.
East Notes: Zucker, Red Wings, Maple Leafs
Jason Zucker had a strong showing for the Penguins this past season, notching 27 goals and 21 assists while, perhaps most importantly, staying healthy after a pair of injury-plagued years. Despite that, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the prudent move for Pittsburgh would be to not bring the pending unrestricted free agent back for next season. The 31-year-old is likely to be seeking a contract similar to the $5MM AAV he has played on the last five years and with the team needing to eventually transition toward becoming a younger and quicker team, locking up another player well into their thirties won’t exactly accomplish that objective. Not bringing Zucker back would also give Kyle Dubas more flexibility to work with this summer, albeit with an extra opening of significance on his roster.
Elsewhere in the East:
- It appears that the Red Wings won’t bring back any of their pending unrestricted free agents, suggests Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now. Duff adds that Detroit is believed to have made a one-year offer to center Pius Suter who declined in the hopes of securing a multi-year commitment while winger Alex Chiasson has passed on a two-way offer, hoping to land a one-way deal on the open market this summer. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and winger Adam Erne are among the other players set to hit the open market in a couple of weeks.
- It’s extremely unlikely that the Maple Leafs bring back forward Alexander Kerfoot or defenseman Justin Holl, reports Postmedia’s Lance Hornby. Kerfoot has been a capable secondary producer over his four seasons in Toronto but cap space will be at a premium and they wouldn’t be able to offer him the $3.5MM he made on his set-to-expire contract. As for Holl, he has shown himself to be a serviceable role player on the back end but it appears that Toronto is trying to re-sign Luke Schenn to fill that spot, pushing the 31-year-out out of a place in the lineup. Both players will hit the open market two Saturdays from today.