The Nashville Predators continue to add winger depth, this time reeling in left winger Alex Kerfoot on a two-year, $7 million deal.
NHL Insider Darren Dredger first reported the signing on X shortly after 1 p.m CST. The contract averages out at $3.5 million per year, bringing the cap space to just north of $11 million remaining. It is Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Chris MacFarland's first free agency signing with the organization, and an interesting one at that.
Kerfoot, 31, scored a career-low in goals (7), assists (6) and points (13) while playing 34 games. He encountered two injury struggles last season, missing 36 games after undergoing a core muscle surgery, later missing a month after suffering an upper-body injury in January. It looks like height hasn't been a worry for MacFarland as like most of his other signings, size has been on the low, and that includes Kerfoot, who stands at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds.
Along with Kerfoot's acquisition, the Predators have retained a handful of forward players, making the offense situation more complicated to work out. With the uncertain futures of Ryan O'Reilly, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, and the arrival of some of the team's top prospects, Kerfoot's signing doesn't make a lot of sense, but it could be valuable if he returns to his 30-40-point self.
Kerfoot signing closes doors for up-and-coming prospects
Before getting into any real discussions about what this could entail, let's just take a look at what the lines could look like:
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Evangelista
Stamkos - Wood - Bourque
Kerfoot - Drury - Marchessault
Colton - Pinchuk- Hoglander
With this, there is only one spot open for a rookie. Before this, I had Brady Martin at center, but now looking at what the MacFarlplan can entail, I believe that management is looking to sell of names and then allow prospects to flow in. Vitali Pinchuk, while not one of these selloffs, is potentially the easiest to assimilate into the NHL with his KHL experience. Martin likely needs some more time in the AHL to develop, and that's okay.
Looking at guys like Ross Colton and Nils Hoglander, they could potentially be one of these selloff deals, where management plays them, let's them grow and put up numbers, and then ship them off when their value is high. If that's the plan, I'd be fine with it. With Drury, his extension signifies that he's staying here long-term. Kerfoot, on the other hand, I'm not too sure. Two years isn't exactly trade asset-friendly length, but it also doesn't signify that he's a part of the team's future either.
For the prospects, they'll have to settle with playing in the AHL for a bit longer. If anything, I think this is the best option. Why alternate prospects night-after-night, potentially damaging their development by placing them in bottom six roles when you can rather secure them top minutes on the Milwaukee Admirals? It makes sense. Kerfoot's signing retains value when they opt to trade him away, while also retaining development of their top youngsters.
Predators' fans and media will hopefully get their answer for what is going on, and what the future will look like when MacFarland addresses the media this evening.
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