It was always fun to do, but I can understand why they did it more sparingly after Season 6, as it can become very repetitive and just sort of something that is supposed to happen at some point.
Ultimately, I think just killing Kenny off once or twice a season was the right call, as it retains an element of surprise and you can really toy with the gag in a way you couldn’t do when it was every episode.
Plus, we also got some of Kenny’s most memorable deaths as a result of it only being done once or twice a season. Seriously, check threads on favorite Kenny deaths and see how many answers are post-Season 6.