I had a query on Twitter yesterday asking for my thoughts on two impending NCAA free agents—West Vancouver's Alex Kerfoot and Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher.
As it turns out, I was planning on writing about Kerfoot after having taken a closer look at the New Jersey Devils' offseason as part of this piece for Bleacher Report earlier in the week:
Here's the rundown:
Kerfoot, who turns 23 in August, was captain of the Harvard hockey team last season. He took over the captaincy from Jimmy Vesey, who notoriously spurned the team that drafted him, the Nashville Predators, to become a free agent on August 15 of last year, after completing his four years at college and graduating. After being courted by a number of teams, the Boston-area native chose to sign with the New York Rangers.
Vesey has better size that Kerfoot—he's listed at 6'1" and 194 pounds, while Kerfoot is 5'10" and 174 pounds. And Vesey was the Hobey Baker winner as the top collegiate player in the NCAA in his senior year. Kerfoot made the Top 10 finalists this past season but did not end up ranking in the top three.
Vesey was originally drafted in the third round by Nashville and made a bigger impact earlier in his college career, peaking with 32 goals and 58 points in his junior year in 2014-15 before dropping to 46 points in his Hobey Baker year. Kerfoot saw a steady improvement in his offense in each of his four seasons at Harvard—14 points in his freshman year, then 30 points, 34 points and a team-leading 46 points in his senior year.
Alex is the son of Vancouver Whitecaps co-owner Greg Kerfoot—a reclusive millionaire who built his fortune in computer software.
Click here for a profile of Greg from 2011, when the Whitecaps first joined MLS, from Matt Sekeres and David Ebner at
The Globe and Mail.
As far as Alex's skillset,
Ryan Biech of Canucks Army gathered some intel back in March, when Kerfoot's name was first connected to the Canucks.
One of the scouting sources that Biech quotes is SBN College Hockey News.
A 2012 NHL Draft selection of the New Jersey Devils, (Kerfoot) is undersized, but he has above average speed and exceptional vision. He does a good job of creating time and space for his linemates by using his quickness to separate from defenders.
Kerfoot was drafted in the fifth round by New Jersey. Just last week, general manager Ray Shero told
Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media that he had recently spoken to Kerfoot and that the Devils are still trying to get him signed.
"I think it was a good reminder that we'd really like to sign him, but like anybody else, he controls the outcome until August 15," said Shero. "I think it was a really good conversation and he'll talk to his agent, and hopefully get back to us in the very near future."
Ryan points out that while Jimmy Vesey had made it clear that he had no plans to sign with Nashville, the team that drafted him (and look how that turned out!), Kerfoot is playing his cards closer to the vest. That being said, Shero added that if Kerfoot does go to August 15, when he's fully able to explore all his options, the Devils might be less inclined to make a deal.
"You never say never. I can only chase this so much."
Presumably, the opportunity for Kerfoot to play close to home would be the biggest enticement that the Canucks could offer. They're also able to point to Troy Stecher as an example of an undersized local kid who defied the odds to carve out a spot for himself in the Canucks organization last season.
With less than three weeks until the deadline, it seems likely that Kerfoot is going to exercise his option to test free agency. It'll be interesting to see if the Canucks are able to entice him to sign.
While we're on the topic, 2017 Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher announced on Wednesday that he is definitely going to explore free agency on August 15.
Butcher's a lot like Stecher—a 5'10", 190-pound defenseman. The Wisconsin native, who was part of the U.S National Development program before college, has spent the last four years at the University of Denver, where he won the national championship last season while serving as team captain.
The Avalanche drafted Butcher in the fifth round in 2013, before he started his college career. Nick Tremaroli of the Denver University website suggests that Joe Sakic and company lost their opportunity to bring Butcher into their organization when they declined to offer him a contract at the end of his junior year, when Denver went to the Frozen Four and he put up 32 points in 39 games.
“We appreciate what Colorado has done, and we’re not ruling out the Avalanche as a potential destination. But we just feel there will be other opportunities that should be explored too, and therefore we’re going (to the 15th),” Butcher’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told
Adrian Date of BSN Denver, who broke the story.
A quick Twitter search shows that Butcher will have no shortage of suitors. There is a glimmer of hope for the Canucks:
Bidding wars for NCAA free agents are strange things. Players can only be offered entry-level contracts as dictated by the CBA, so it's not like one team can outbid another in terms of money. As we saw with Vesey last year, the player's choice usually comes down to situation—where he wants to live and who he knows, as well as opportunities for icetime and a chance to play a significant role.
I don't want the Canucks to make too many promises to get either of these players signed—we saw last year how all the terms that were negotiated into Nikita Tryamkin's deal created a difficult situation for both the player and team management.
Right now, I'd be surprised if the Canucks are able to offer a package that proves enticing enough to bring Butcher into the fold, but Kerfoot seems like a real possibility.
Both players are likely bound for the AHL next season, but it'll be interesting to watch how their negotiations unfold once we get to August 15.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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