Nico or Nolan and other decisions Shero must make for Devils

Andrew Gross | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Top NHL Prospects A look at some of the top prospects in the NHL Draft, June 23-24 in Chicago

Plenty of decisions await Devils general manager Ray Shero this off-season.

Namely, what to do with the first overall pick in the draft, how to handle Ilya Kovalchuk’s desired return to the NHL and, who to expose to the fledgling Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft and, overall, what improvements can be made after finishing last in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Shero provided few specifics in a wide-ranging phone interview with The Record on Thursday. But, he said, that’s because many decisions have yet to be made.

For instance, Nico or Nolan? Centers Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are ranked as the top two prospects available in the NHL Draft, June 23-24 in Chicago, without a clear consensus No. 1 pick like the last two seasons with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid.

“Nico has come a long way in 12 months coming over here,” Shero said of Hischier, who left Switzerland to play Canadian junior hockey and contrasting him with Patrick, who had an injury-plagued season in the Western Hockey League. “Then you’ve got Nolan, who’s almost the opposite. But we’ve seen this many, many times. He really knocked it out of the park the year before, then there were injuries and his team was certainly younger.

“At the end of the day, they’re center-icemen,” Shero added. “Everybody is looking for center-icemen. Certainly these players are fun to compare. But they’re different kind of players.”

As for Kovalchuk, who “retired” back to Russia from the Devils and his 15-year, $100 million contract in 2013 and has spent the past four seasons in the KHL, Shero said the 34-year-old wing will ultimately decide where he plays.

Kovalchuk can only sign with the Devils – and not until July 1 – but Shero can execute a sign-and-trade deal. Shero met with Kovalchuk’s agent, Jay Grossman, about two weeks ago – they have not met since – and Grossman can contact the other NHL teams to gauge what kind of market there is for his client and, perhaps, help broker a deal.

“I don’t know Ilya Kovalchuk but I watched him in this league for a long time,” Shero said. “He was a top player in this league and everybody is no different from us, you want to add talented players. If he does come back, it’s fantastic for the league but to speculate further than that, I don’t know at this point.”

Shero, though, did not rule out wanting Kovalchuk to return to the Devils.

“If we can patchwork our team with guys like Kovalchuk who are really good, that’s OK,” Shero said. “He’s going to drive the bus on this. He’s going to decide where he wants to play. I’ll decide whether that makes sense for us.”

With 11 picks in the draft and the need to improve in all areas, Shero is widely expected to be an active trader this off-season.

But Shero also said he is not actively shopping his core players, specifically mentioning goalie Cory Schneider. At the same time, Shero reminded that he wasn’t looking to trade defenseman Adam Larsson last summer before the Oilers offered Taylor Hall.

“I sat down with Cory, Cory wants to be here and we’d love him to be here. That’s the plan,” Shero said. “But that can change in a phone call. But I’m not actively shopping players, the guys you are thinking about.”

Shero also said there was nothing new to report on forward Alexander Kerfoot, the Devils’ fifth-round pick in 2012 who remains unsigned and can become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15.

Shero said there have been no further meetings with Kerfoot since the NCAA Frozen Four.

“I think he still has a lot of interest in the Devils, he’s told me that,” Shero said. “But it’s not uncommon for players to want to be sure of the landscape. He’s got all the information, so we’ll see.

“If it works out, fantastic, because we would love to have him,” Shero added. “But I ain’t begging guys.”

Shero also said, at this time, there are no plans to make changes to the coaching staff. Shero did acknowledge firing head equipment manager Rich Matthews and video coordinator Taran Singleton were his decisions but declined to comment on whether any other off-ice staff would be replaced.

Email: grossa@northjersey.com