Alex Kerfoot explains why he chose the Avalanche over the Sharks
DENVER — Alexander Kerfoot, in second season with the Avalanche, says he nearly signed with the Sharks in Aug. 2017.
Kerfoot, 24, was drafted in the fifth round by New Jersey in 2012 but elected not to sign with the Devils after four seasons at Harvard. He thus became a free agent on Aug. 16, 2017 and was reportedly targeted by a handful of teams, with the Sharks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks and Avalanche becoming his five finalists.
Kerfoot, a Hobey Baker Award finalist in his senior year, said his decision came down to the Avalanche and the Sharks. Colorado general manager Joe Sakic got Kerfoot to put pen to paper, as Kerfoot inked a two-year entry-level deal with the Avs on Aug. 24, 2017. Kerfoot is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
“If I didn’t sign here I probably would have signed in San Jose,” Kerfoot said. “When it came down to it, those were probably my final two teams.
“That last day, it could have gone either way for me. But I’m happy with how everything’s turned out. It’s worked out great here. But San Jose treated me really well throughout the process. Met with a few of their guys, spoke to (general manager Doug Wilson) on the phone.”
Kerfoot was expected to start Tuesday’s Game 3 on the Avalanche’s top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. He has 85 points in 157 regular season games with Colorado, and one point in seven playoff games this year.
The Sharks the season before had finished 10th overall in the NHL standings, advanced to the playoffs and lost in the first round to Edmonton. Colorado finished 30th out of 30 teams with a 22-56-4 record, and Kerfoot saw an opportunity to make an immediate impact with the Avs.
“Completely different circumstances coming into San Jose and coming into Colorado with the years that they had before,” Kerfoot said. “San Jose was a proven team. They had made it to the playoffs. Colorado, obviously, was dead last in the league before and they were looking to rebuild.
“Different scenarios, but both of them felt like good situations for me and I’m obviously really happy with how it’s turned out with Colorado.”
Makar on Ferraro
Colorado’s Cale Makar had nothing but good things to say about fellow defenseman Mario Ferraro, who the Sharks just signed to an entry-level contract. CapFriendly reported the deal as being three years with an AAV of $1,137,500 million at the NHL level.
Makar and Ferraro, both 20, were teammates at UMass for the past two seasons. Ferraro was selected 49th overall by the Sharks in 2017.
“Hardest-working guy I’ve ever met and played with my entire life,” Makar said of Ferraro. “Great off the ice. He’s one of my really good friends. They got a good one. He battles.”
Makar said he and Ferraro were defense partners in their freshman year at UMass in 2017-18. Ferraro had 23 points in 39 games that season but 14 points in 41 games this season, as UMass advanced to the NCAA title game for the first time.
“This year he took a lot more of a defensive role, but he still chipped in offensively,” Makar said. “Maybe his numbers didn’t show it, but he’s still a hell of a player.”