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Jimmy Vesey Signs Professional Tryout

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After being linked to the New York Rangers last month, Jimmy Vesey has agreed to attend camp on a professional tryout, according to CapFriendly. The veteran forward is an unrestricted free agent after his one-year, $800K contract with the New Jersey Devils expired this summer.

It’s been quite a career so far for the 29-year-old Vesey, who was once considered the “next big thing” out of college hockey. Selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, he became such a dominant force at Harvard that there were sweepstakes when he decided not to sign with the Nashville Predators–the team that had picked him.

First, the Buffalo Sabres sent a third-round pick to the Predators for a chance to sign him before he hit free agency, and then when he turned them down, several clubs put on the full-court press. He decided then to sign with the Rangers, and he would be relatively effective for them in his first three seasons, scoring 16, 17, and 17 goals. A trade then took him back to Buffalo, before stops in Toronto, Vancouver, and New Jersey have led him to today.

Given the fact that he has just 22 goals in 155 games since leaving the Rangers, it makes sense why he might want to go back. One might have expected him to be able to land more than just a PTO but rosters are tight at this point in the summer. He’ll now have to try and showcase his skills and land himself a contract in New York or elsewhere, even if it ends up being a two-way deal.

Vesey has never played a single game in the AHL and would need to clear waivers to be sent there, but at this point in his career, it is unclear whether he will be able to secure a full-time NHL gig.

Hartford Wolf Pack Hire Jamie Tardif As Assistant Coach, Name Casey Torres Player Development Assistant

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A pair of AHL teams have announced coaching hires, including a trio of former NHLers going behind the bench. The Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, announced the hirings of Jared Staal and Bobby Sanguinetti as assistant coaches on the staff of Head Coach Geordie Kinnear. The two newest hires also join former teammate Zac Dalpe on Kinnear’s staff. Heading up north, the Hartford Wolf Pack have hired Jamie Tardif as an assistant coach and named Casey Torres as Player Development Assistant. Hartford currently serves as the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.

Adam Huska Signs In KHL

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After making his NHL debut this season with the New York Rangers, Slovak netminder Adam Huska has signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL for 2022-23, as announced by the KHL on Twitter today.

Huska, 25, was a seventh-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Rangers. After the draft, he immediately showed why it was a worthy pick. Huska won the USHL Goaltender of the Year Award and led the league in both goals-against average (1.82) and save percentage (.931) in 37 games with the Green Bay Gamblers.

Then, after a three-year collegiate career with the University of Connecticut, Huska turned pro, primarily spending each of the last three seasons with the Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford. He had his best AHL season yet in 2021-22, posting a 10-13-6 record and a .902 save percentage in 29 games. He also represented Slovakia at the World Championship for the second straight season, this time as the bona fide starter.

The Rangers didn’t issue him a qualifying offer this offseason, however, making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. With a bit of a higher-upside prospect in Olof Lindbom likely heading to Hartford this season (and Team Canada World Junior goaltender Dylan Garand), there was an organizational crunch for goalie spots. Huska was the odd man out after not displaying great numbers in the AHL the past few seasons, despite the hot start to his development.

New York Rangers Hire Ari Vuori

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As announced on Friday, the New York Rangers have added Ari Vuori to their front office as Director of European Scouting.

Vuori, 60, is an esteemed name in NHL circles with plenty of relevant and successful experience. Getting his start as a European Scout with the Los Angeles Kings in 1996-97, he stayed with the team all the way until 2007, partially responsible for drafting star Europeans such as Olli Jokinen (1997), Lubomir Visnovsky (2000), and most notably Anze Kopitar (2005).

That success continued during a stint with the Detroit Red Wings from 2008-2015, but Vuori has most recently served as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Director of European Scouting since then. Over the past few seasons, the Maple Leafs have consistently been one of the most active teams in bringing over European free agents and sometimes making solid impacts, most notably Ilya Mikheyev.

With Vuori in the fold, the Rangers immediately have an upgraded front office. He’ll undoubtedly steer the teams’ assessments of European talent in the right direction and provide a valuable liaison with incoming European free agents.

Sammy Blais Activated Off IR

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  • The New York Rangers have officially activated Sammy Blais from injured reserve, nine months after he was placed on it. That suggests he’s healthy enough to start the year after missing nearly the entire season with a torn ACL. Blais was signed to a one-year, $1.525MM contract in June that will leave him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Morning Notes: McCoshen, Huberdeau, Rangers

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Ian McCoshen has struggled to find his way back to the NHL in recent years and will now try his hand in Europe. The 27-year-old defenseman has signed with Assat of the Finnish Liiga for the upcoming season, after spending last year with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Selected 31st overall in 2013 and having made it to the NHL quickly after his career at Boston College came to an end, McCoshen played just 60 games with the Florida Panthers before bouncing around the minor leagues the last few seasons. The 6’3″ defenseman was only ever able to record seven points at the highest level, with his physicality not enough to keep him in the NHL. His name will be one to keep an eye on next summer, at least for open AHL opportunities.

  • New Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau has pledged his brain to science after death, following Ben Lovejoy’s lead from 2017 as the first active NHL player to do it. As Rick Westhead of TSN reports, Huberdeau is joining a group that includes former astronaut Marc Garneau, former Harvard captain (and granddaughter of NHL legend George Armstrong) Kalley Armstrong, and more than 170 Canadian Armed Forces members in the pledge, which will allow their brains to be studied for post-concussion effects and other injuries.
  • The New York Rangers have added two more people to their scouting staff, naming Garth Joy the associate director of player personnel and director of player scouting, and Andy Schneider the director of North American amateur scouting. Joy, notably, has been with the Colorado Avalanche for more than two decades mostly as a pro scout but will be getting quite the title increase as he moves to the Rangers. He was with the Avalanche when Chris Drury, now the general manager of the Rangers, was playing (and winning the 1999 Calder Trophy and 2001 Stanley Cup).

New York Rangers Could Be In The Market For Cheap Left Defenseman

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  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post wonders if the New York Rangers could make one more move by bringing in a low-cost left defenseman for the team’s third pair. Brooks cites Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant’s preference for size, especially among defenseman, and the current projection of Zachary Jones and Libor Hajek splitting time in that spot. Jones, listed at 5’11 and 185 pounds, doesn’t possess much in the way of size, though he is a talented young player who could see more ice time now as part of his development, having averaged just 15:05 of time-on-ice in 22 career regular season games. At 6’2 and 203 pounds, Hajek possesses some of that size, but as a healthy scratch for a whopping 60 games last season, seeing him jump to a full-time or even platoon role next year for a Rangers team looking for a Stanley Cup might be a bit of a question mark. The team has just over $1MM in available cap space with players like Danny DeKeyser, Ryan Murray, and especially the 6’6 Ben Harpur representing players that fit the bill: inexpensive left-defensemen with size.

New York Rangers Name Jacob Trouba Captain

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The New York Rangers will have a captain next season for the first time since Ryan McDonagh was traded in 2018. Jacob Trouba was named the 28th captain in Rangers history, and will wear the “C” next season. General manager Chris Drury explained why he made this choice:

We all think Jacob is the perfect choice for captain for many reasons. Certainly since the moment he got here, he has continued to grow as a leader within the organization. Things he does on the ice, off the ice, behind the scenes, you name it. He’s the perfect role model for our young guys, for our older guys, for our veterans. He just chooses to do everything right day in and day out. We’re thrilled he’s going to be our captain. 

Trouba, 28, is entering his fourth season with the Rangers, after landing in New York via trade in the summer of 2019. He had made it clear to the Winnipeg Jets that he was unlikely to re-sign with them long-term, so after six seasons with the Canadian club, he was sent to the Rangers in exchange for Neal Pionk and a first-round pick (which ended up being Ville Heinola).

While some may argue that the seven-year, $56MM contract that he quickly signed pays him a bit more than his on-ice play warrants, there’s a reason why the Rangers have made him captain today. The big, physical defenseman has been a horse for the club averaging more than 22 minutes a night since arriving, and taking on some of the difficult defensive matchups in order to free up more offensive players like Adam Fox.

Remember that shift to responsible, physical play wasn’t always Trouba’s calling card. He was a puck-mover for the Jets and even reached 50 points in 2018-19 on the back of top powerplay production. While he does get a bit of time with the man advantage in New York, it’s his even-strength contributions that are some important, where he averages more time than any other Rangers player. He has also produced elite penalty-killing results, and developed into one of the most feared open-ice hitters in the league.

With just four years left on his deal and this season to be played mostly at the age of 28, it is unlikely that the Rangers will have to pay for much of a decline, at least on this contract. His captaincy essentially ends any lingering trade speculation, though even that was always a bit far-fetched, given his no-movement clause and stated desire to stay.

Today, he joins an exclusive group, that includes Drury himself, who served as Rangers captain between 2008-2011. There aren’t many people better suited to understand the role and make a selection.

Rangers Linked To Jimmy Vesey

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Jimmy Vesey spent the first three seasons of his career as a member of the Rangers before bouncing around in recent years.  However, it appears a return to New York is on the horizon as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the unrestricted free agent is expected to sign with the Rangers.

After opting not to sign with Nashville and later Buffalo, Vesey became one of the more prominent mid-August college free agents in recent memory.  He eventually agreed to join the Rangers and was a serviceable depth scorer, notching 50 goals and 40 assists in 240 games over three seasons.

Things haven’t gone as well since then as the 29-year-old has moved around frequently.  In the last three seasons, he has only put up half of the points that he did with New York while playing for four different teams – Buffalo, Toronto, Vancouver, and New Jersey.  Vesey spent last season with the Devils, collecting eight goals and seven assists in 68 games while averaging 14:25 per night.

Brooks suggests that Vesey’s contract should check in at or around the league minimum of $750K, making it a low-risk proposition.  If he’s able to secure a spot at the end of their roster, he’ll give them some low-cost depth.  If he’s unable to do so, the Rangers can clear his entire contract off the books by waiving him and sending him to AHL Hartford.

After starting his career with plenty of fanfare, Vesey has seen his stock drop quickly as of late.  With that in mind, a return to the one team that he had some success with makes a lot of sense as he looks to get back on track and extend his NHL career.

Rangers Sign C.J. Smith

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August 2: The New York Rangers have made the signing of Smith official.

August 1: The Rangers have added some forward depth as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked C.J. Smith to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract is worth $750K in the NHL, $275K in the minors, and contains a total guarantee of $300K.

The 27-year-old has 15 career NHL contests under his belt over parts of four seasons where he has two goals and an assist.  One of those appearances came in 2021-22 with Carolina.  Smith has spent most of his professional career in the minors where he has been much more productive.  Last season, he played in 60 games with AHL Chicago, notching 24 goals and 34 assists, good for third on the Wolves in scoring.  He also collected nine points in 16 playoff contests to help Chicago win the Calder Cup.

While Smith will undoubtedly see some action with New York in the preseason, it’s safe to say that their intention with this signing is to have him start with AHL Hartford where he’ll help replace Anthony Greco, last year’s leading scorer who remains unsigned and Nick Merkley, who went to the KHL earlier today.  The Rangers are now up to 48 NHL contracts with this signing out of the limit of 50 although they have a couple of junior-aged players who will come off the books if they’re sent back to that level.

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