Don't Mess With The Metro

Last summer, the former Hobey Baker winner from Harvard, Jimmy Vesey, opted to not sign with the team that drafted him, the Nashville Predators. The talk of the entire 2016 offseason was, “Where will Jimmy Vesey Land?” On August 15, a month and a half after his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a 3rd Round Pick just before the NHL Draft, Vesey stuck to his word and entered free agency. Four days later, he signed with the New York Rangers.

Again, we see a very similar situation with the New Jersey Devils’ 5th Round Pick (150th Overall) in 2012, Alexander Kerfoot. Although talks about this have not escalated to that of Jimmy Vesey’s, it’s still a huge deal. He played 4 seasons with Harvard University, played with Jimmy Vesey for 3 of them, and managed to be named the Captain at Harvard his Senior year. He scored a total of 36 goals and 87 assists in 121 collegiate games. The Colorado Avalanche have the same situation with this year’s Hobey Baker winner, Will Butcher out of the University of Denver, who has decided to enter free agency August 15th.

Devil’s General Manager Ray Shero is still hopeful, but its still unclear if Kerfoot has officially decided to test the open market. Now let’s talk about why he WILL sign with the Devils.

First off, the Devils' Prospect pool is good, but not that good, it doesn't match up well against Toronto and Carolina for example. Yes, they drafted and signed Nico Hischier and have Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod, but it sort of falls of after that. Kerfoot can play both Center and Right Wing, and there are certainly open spots in both of those positions for next year. The Devils lost many players and have a lack of depth upfront. Kerfoot is very similar to Vesey in how he performs and what skills he possesses. He can play in the shadows of Palmieri and Hall, so the expectations for Kerfoot to perform at an elite level will be very low. The Devils definitely have a bright future, and I’m sure Kerfoot would like to help lead the charge to a playoff berth.

Now here is why he will NOT sign with Devils. Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha, Nico Hischier, Michael McLeod, Brian Boyle, and Blake Coleman, what do all of these players have in common? THEY ARE ALL CENTERS. If Kerfoot knows he cannot make the transition to the winger position at the NHL level, then his chances of breaking into the Top 6 center role are as good as gone. News of talks with Devils management and Kerfoot have not surfaced in 2 months, which leads me to believe that he will definitely go to free agency. Last summer, Jimmy Vesey dissed the Devils and signed with their rival across the Hudson River. Ironically, guess what team now needs center depth…. the Rangers. I see almost a perfect fit for Kerfoot in New York. He can play with his former line mate and could get the chance to be a 3rd line center, then maybe surpass Kevin Hayes in the Top 6. Other suitors for Kerfoot could be the Detroit Red Wings, who lost out in the Spencer Foo and Zach Aston Reese sweepstakes, Florida Panthers, who lost Jonathan Marchessault in the Expansion Draft and lack forward depth behind their Top 6, and maybe even his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team desperate for centers and the Vegas Golden Knights would like to improve their depth as well, so Kerfoot has a plethora of options if he does indeed elect free agency.

And there you have it Readers, this is my personal opinion on the Alex Kerfoot dilemma. August 15th is in two weeks and there is still time for Kerfoot to make up his mind on where to play next season. Leave a comment below on where you think he will land. Hope you enjoyed. Follow Zach on Twitter @Ignition_Hockey.