Neutral Zone: Kerfoot aboard, Tourigny extension talks on deck, Coyotes development camp begins

Alex Kerfoot once sustained dental facial fractures in a 2019 game against the Los Angeles Kings, who have injured more than their share of Coyotes. Kerfoot told reporters that he lost weight while only eating food from a blender.

One of those foods was a Philly Cheesesteak.

“If you get past the sight of it, it’s not that bad,” he told TSN’s Mark Masters.

Blended food was the last thing on Kerfoot’s mind when he addressed local reporters on Sunday after signing a two-year contract with the Coyotes with an average annual value of $3.5 million. Of course, I asked anyway, wanting to know which southwestern cuisine he would most like to try in a blender if given the choice.

“I don’t think I want to be eating anything out of a blender but a smoothie,” he said. “That was a one-time thing. Hopefully, I don’t have to get back there again.”

Kerfoot’s signing was as much of a surprise as Jason Zucker’s, but staying in Toronto does not appear to have been much of an option with the leafs so tight to the cap. The Leafs wanted more bite in their lineup. Sunday’s signing of Tyler Bertuzzi was an example.

“I think that when you go through periods of maybe not reaching the level of success that you want then the organization needs to do different things.” he said. “In my mind, I wanted to still have conversations. I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of people in that organization, but things don’t always work out and with that comes new opportunities and maybe better opportunities for me. I’m looking forward to this new chapter with Arizona.”

Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong called Kerfoot a glue guy that can play any forward position and would likely slot into the middle six. Sports Illustrated/Hockey News beat writer David Alter said Kerfoot played everywhere last season.

“Sheldon Keefe relied on him for his versatility and played him through lines 1-4,” Alter wrote. 

It takes a certain mindset to be able to adapt to ever-changing roles.

“I think the biggest thing is being open-minded with it and really, in essence, just trying to serve the team in any way you can,” Kerfoot said. “When you have guys who are able to play different roles, that allows the coach to be flexible and allows him to try different combinations. That’s something that has just been a part of my game throughout the last few years and I kind of have grown into it. 

“I think that when you’re exposed to different situations, you learn to play different roles, you’re able to add different skills to your game. With where I was in Toronto and them giving me those different opportunities, it’s really allowed me to kind of step into different roles. That versatility component has become a big part of my game.”

Alter also noted that Kerfoot was “really loved by his teammates.” In case you didn’t notice, that’s a trait that many of the Coyotes free-agent signings carried. They are all character guys.

“We just love their work ethic. We love them as people, and what they can bring to the Coyotes,” Armstrong said.

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Tourigny talks

Coyotes coach André Tourigny is entering the final season of his contract. GM Bill Armstrong indicated that talks will begin with Tourigny and his agent in the next couple of weeks.

In two seasons overseeing a massive rebuild, Tourigny earned national praise for the Coyotes unexpected competitiveness, for his ability to connect with players, and for his success on the international stage. Before the Coyotes slipped at the end of the season, losing 11 of their last 12 games (1-7-4), Tourigny was even generating some buzz for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year.

Nick Bjugstad cited those abilities among his reason for returning to Arizona as a free agent on Saturday, and key players such as Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton and Juuso Välimäki have raved about Tourigny’s relationship building, and his fair but demanding coaching style.

It’s understandable that members of the hockey operations staff might be frustrated by the ongoing arena saga, which they thought was going to be resolved with the Tempe vote. Tourigny was also close with recently departed Coyotes icon Shane Doan, who took a job as a special advisor to Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving. Doan and Tourigny worked together on multiple occasions in international tournaments for Hockey Canada so Tourigny lost a close confidant.

That said, the Coyotes’ recent moves on the trade market (Sean Durzi) and in free agency (Connor Ingram, Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, Nick Bjugstad, Troy Stecher) have given Tourigny more to work with than he has had in his previous two seasons. For the first time since he took over, there appears to be a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. 

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Coyotes development camp begins

The Coyotes will host their prospect development camp Monday through Friday at the Ice Den Scottsdale. Monday’s and Tuesday’s sessions are free and open to the public, and Friday’s scrimmage is open to season ticket members.

Among the top prospects expected to attend are Logan Cooley (pictured above), Conor Geekie, Maveric Lamoureux, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Ilya Fedotov, Sam Lipkin, Julian Lutz, Miko Matikka, Aku Räty, Maksymilian Szuber, Jérémy Langlois, Michael Hrabal and Anson Thornton. The only 2023 draft picks who will not attend are first-round picks Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But and third-round pick Vadim Moroz, who are all under contract with Russian teams and forbidden from taking part.

Here is the schedule and a complete camp roster:

Monday: 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Coyotes Rink – Open to public)
Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Doan Rink – Open to public)
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Apex Rink)
Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Apex Rink)
Friday: Black vs. White game at 1:00 p.m. (Coyotes Rink, open to Coyotes season ticket members only)

Loose pucks

• The Coyotes signed 24-year-old AHL forward John Leonard to a one-year, two-way deal to help provide scoring punch in Tucson and maybe earn a call-up. Last season, Leonard had 17 goals and 44 points for Milwaukee (AHL). San José originally selected him in the sixth round (no. 182) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

• Wednesday is the deadline for player-elected salary arbitration for restricted free agents with arbitration rights. Thursday is the deadline for team-elected salary arbitration. Arbitration hearings would be scheduled between July 20 and Aug. 4. The Coyotes have three such players: forwards Jack McBain, Nathan Smith and goalie Ivan Prosvetov.
  
• Coyotes defensive prospect Artyom Duda is a late addition to Coyotes development camp. He will only be here for two days. His enrollment at the University of Maine is now complete. He has to leave camp early for classes. Duda was a Coyotes 2022 second-round pick (No. 36).

Top photo of Alex Kerfoot via Getty Images

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