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Jimmy Vesey

Vesey Update: 8/18/16

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As reported earlier, free agent Jimmy Vesey met with seven teams today as he continues to deliberate where he will sign. The Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs have joined the Buffalo Sabres on the not-so-short short list of teams that Vesey is officially considering. ESPN’s Joe McDonald learned that no decision will be made today, as Vesey will sit down with agent Peter Fish and other representation, family members, and advisors tonight to discuss options. A decision is expected Friday or Saturday.

There is no clear clubhouse leader among the teams in consideration so far. As could be expected, all of Vesey’s meetings over the past few days were reportedly “great”. Teams can only sway the Hobey Baker winner with their pitches of play time, team success, organizational culture, and more, as Vesey’s contract will be locked in at an entry-level $925K plus bonuses no matter where he chooses to play.

McDonald reports that star power has been in full effect thus far, with Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Cory Schneider, and several Bruins among those in attendance at Vesey’s meetings in Boston. Sidney Crosby has also reportedly reached out, and friends of Vesey’s like Jack Eichel and brothers Jimmy and Kevin Hayes have likely been in his ear all summer.

Those with an inside source within the Vesey meetings and mullings have not been shy about reporting their thoughts. Sportsnet’s Howard Berger says not to be surprised if Vesey signs with the Maple Leafs, but also warns that Buffalo is very much still in the mix. Mike Grinnel of ESPN New Hampshire confirms the theory of colleague Jimmy Murphy that the New Jersey Devils are leading the chase. DJ Bean of Boston’s WEEI hears that the Bruins excelled in their meeting with Vesey and are still considered major contenders, counter to cross-town rival Joe Haggerty of CSN New England who said that Boston is all but out. Many have become skeptical of the Penguins ability to sign Vesey, having just re-signed Matt Cullen and reportedly having reached an agreement with another college free agent, Notre Dame’s Thomas DiPauli. All is quiet on the NYC front as well, with both the Islanders and Rangers considered strong contenders, but little chatter to support either’s position. Perhaps the most accurate “insider information” out there is the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kruc’s take on Vesey and the Blackhawks, that they are just waiting for a decision from the Harvard star and that no known pecking order is in place.

With all of the noise out there about Jimmy Vesey and his destination, the best move for those following along with the storyline is to sit back and relax. A decision will come in the next couple of days, and no reports by Vesey’s sources (who have been all over the place thus far) will make any difference until the ink has dried on his first contract. In the end, one team will emerge triumphant, and our attention will turn to the seven who lost out and may look for additional scoring support before the start of the new season. Until then, #VeseyWatch rolls on.

 

Vesey Sweepstakes Reportedly Down To Seven Teams

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Update (4:30pm): Make that eight teams. Obviously the Buffalo Sabres are still very much in the mix, but were omitted from the original report because they were not one of the seven teams who met with Vesey today. The Sabres have had months to negotiate with the Hobey Baker winner, after acquiring his rights from the Nashville Predators, but Vesey’s plan has always been to test free agency and hear the pitches of other interested teams. This does not mean that Buffalo is out of the running as a possible destination, only that Vesey has heard their pitch many times and is now considering what other teams have to say as well. It’s eight teams right now, which is hardly narrowing it down, but the next 24 hours should be telling as #VeseyWatch continues.

ESPN’s Joe McDonald reports that the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes are down to seven finalists. The Blackhawks, Bruins, Devils, Islanders, Maple Leafs, Penguins, and Rangers are all listed as having a shot at the highly sought after winger from Harvard. Five of these teams were previously listed among our own speculative favorites for Vesey, with the Penguins and Islanders making a recent push.

This report would seem to suggest that other teams rumored to have interest, such as the Red Wings, Flyers, Hurricanes, and Blue Jackets, were unable to convince Vesey to join them.

With the exception of the Blackhawks, these are all Eastern Conference teams. Fully half the Metropolitan Division, whose pitches we discussed here, are among the seven finalists. While our above linked preview of Vesey’s free agency discussed what some teams have to offer, the Penguins and Islanders are certainly attractive situations themselves. The Islanders would likely give Vesey an opportunity to play with John Tavares, while beginning his career in New York City. Vesey’s agent, Peter Fish, has spoken positively about the lure of playing in New York. The Penguins on the other hand are the defending Stanley Cup champions, and would give Vesey a very high likelihood of playing regularly with one of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. It’s never a bad thing to get to start your career on a line with a veteran superstar.

The Vesey camp says that a decision will not come today.

Metro Notes: Vesey, Lambert, Penguins, Flyers

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The Metropolitan Division seems like ground zero for the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes. The free agent forward out of Harvard has reportedly received interest from the Devils, Penguins, Islanders, Rangers, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, and Flyers. Reading through the links, you’ll see that the Flyers and Blue Jackets are not believed to be serious contenders for Vesey, while the Penguins in particular made a strong impression. The Devils have long been considered one of the favorites to sign him, while the Islanders brought along captain John Tavares for the recruitment.

Vesey is said to be holding out until at least Friday to make his final decision. Other teams reportedly pushing for Vesey include the Maple Leafs, Bruins, and Blackhawks. For all our coverage on Vesey’s decision, click here. For more notes from around the Metropolitan Division, keep reading here.

  • Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that Capitals assistant coach Lane Lambert is among the candidates to take over the Colorado Avalanche head coaching job. Lambert has spent the last two years in Washington under head coach Barry Trotz, and was previously his assistant for four years in Nasvhille.
  • The Wheeling Nailers have signed on for two more years as the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate. The Nailers, based out of West Virginia, appeared in last year’s Kelly Cup Finals, before losing in six games to the Allen Americans. Strangely enough, the Americans are affiliated with the San Jose Sharks, who the Penguins beat in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
  • The Flyers have hired Dr. Ben Peterson as their Director of Sports Science. SB Nation’s Flyers site has a rundown of Peterson’s credentials, as obtained from his Linkedin page. It’s some pretty heavy stuff, and given his experience, he appears to go far beyond the data-based analysis that’s easily found online.

Front Offices On Jimmy Vesey

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After completing his meetings with team representatives today (which include names like John Tavares, Jonathan Toews and Auston Matthews) Jimmy Vesey will have to decide where he plays his first professional hockey game. TSN spoke with a couple of front office members about Vesey’s future, and they bring up separate but interesting points:

Brendan Shanahan, President & Alternate Governor, Toronto Maple Leafs (link):

He’s had a fabulous college career, and has earned the right to have this kind of interest from this many clubs, us being one of them. People are attracted to his leadership qualities; captain of Harvard, he’s obviously a very intelligent player on the ice and off, and he’s a guy who seems to have the ability to put the puck in the net, so when those types of players come available people line up.

Brian Burke, President of Hockey Ops, Calgary Flames (link):

If you look at the college free agents, they have made a dramatically insignificant contribution to our league. Tyler Bozak might be the best one. Of the 100 or 150 that have signed, most have very little impact. I think this player is going to play, and make a difference. I think he’s going to be a good player..but if you look at that group and the money the league has spent on their contribution, it’s a pimple on an elephant’s butt.

Back in February, when the Nashville Predators still held Vesey’s rights, GM David Poile spoke about his ability and future with the team:

We’ve had him here for our development camps each of the last two or three summers and he’s grown so much as a player and a person. Physically, he’s ready to play. As far as a college hockey player, he’s dominant in a lot of areas; one of them is his skating. Obviously, offensively he’s put up a lot of good numbers, so we truly believe that he can come in and play right away.

It’s clear that not everyone in the league is sold on Vesey’s ability to step in and be a difference maker at the NHL level, but the amount of teams that have taken meetings with him over the past few days would suggest they believe he at least will be able to step in right away. Vesey, or at least his agent Peter Fish, has only said that he’ll make a decision this weekend at some point.

John Gilmour Signs With New York Rangers

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Amid all the Jimmy Vesey discussion, the New York Rangers have signed another NCAA standout. According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, John Gilmour, a defenseman out of Providence College has agreed to a two-year deal with the club.

Gilmour, 23, was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2013 but, like Vesey, decided to play four years in college and became a free agent. He was part of the 2015 national champions after defeating Jack Eichel-led Boston University in the final.

Playing in 141 games over his four years, Gilmour scored 65 points including 23 goals. We recently profiled Gilmour when we listed him at #3 on our list of top college free agents, behind just Vesey and Thomas DiPauli, the latter of which was reported earlier today to be in talks with six different teams.

[Related: New York Rangers’ Depth Chart]

The Rangers weren’t going to wait around to dip their toes into the college ranks, and with Gilmour add a young, mobile defenseman to a group that isn’t seen as such. Gilmour will try to crack the roster this year, but may have trouble because of the big deals sitting on their blueline.

Snapshots: Roy, Vesey, Oilers

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When Patrick Roy suddenly resigned as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche last week the hockey world, along with GM Joe Sakic, was stunned to say the least. While Sakic said all the right things, and refused to throw his former teammate under the bus, Terry Frei from the Denver Post writes that it was how their relationship had developed that caused Roy to exit so abruptly.

In the piece, Frei writes that though Roy had a big impact on personnel and development decisions in his first three years, as someone holding a vice-president of hockey operations should, he’d been slowly edged out as Sakic gained more confidence and experience on the job.  To quote Frei: “Did he quit on the Avs? Sure, he did. As coach. Because he thought he had been fired as a VP.”

The Avalanche are still looking for someone to fill the head coaching role, and as Frei reports, Sakic has indicated that none of the current assistant coaches are being considered. We profiled five candidates here who may find their phones ringing at some point, though many are already under contract with another team, if in a lesser role.

  • The Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes continued today, with the final team meetings taking place.  Multiple reports have current players attending the meetings in order to sway his decision, with John Tavares being one of the biggest names confirmed (via James Mirtle). Though the Islanders may still be seen as outsiders, a promised role next to Tavares is definitely something any player would have to consider, and with P.A. Parenteau currently penciled in, it wouldn’t take much to offer it.  Other teams are obviously offering similar things, with Jonathan Toews (link) and Auston Matthews (link) both in Boston to meet the Harvard grad.
  • In his latest column, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal posits that the Oilers will never be successful while they keep trotting out a few weak-links, despite the obvious top-end talent on the roster. In analyzing the roster, Staples references Chris Anderson and David Salley’s book “The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Soccer Is Wrong“, and applies their “O-ring player” idea to some recent Oilers like Anton Lander, Mark Fayne and Mark Letestu.  While a team can’t have NHL stars in every roster spot,  it’s these weak-links that are holding the team back from ever capitalizing on their young stars’ success.

Interest In DiPauli From At Least Six Teams

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While everyone watches closely and awaits a decision from Harvard product and free agent Jimmy Vesey, another college name is garnering a lot of attention from teams around the league.  Thomas DiPauli, the Notre Dame winger and former Washington Capitals draft pick is also a free agent, and according to Mark Divver of The Providence Journal there is currently interest from half a dozen teams, and he won’t go unsigned long.

Back in July, we profiled DiPauli after he declared his intention to test free agency, and he was recently ranked #2 on our top college free agents, behind only Vesey. DiPauli isn’t the scoring threat that Vesey is, but does profile as a solid contributor in the bottom six, with the capability of scoring 10-15 goals in the NHL. His two-way style is always sought after as teams look to roll four lines more often in today’s NHL.

Should DiPauli sign somewhere in the next few days, he’ll be added to the list of positives for that team in the Vesey sweepstakes, as the two share an agent and are both graduates of the US Development Program. One could speculate that at least some of the same teams that are after Vesey are the ones in the hunt for DiPauli as well, as teams look to get essentially “free” young talent.

Vesey Update: Harvard’s Ted Donato On ESPN Radio

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ESPN New Hampshire’s “The Stretch Run” with Pete Sheppard and Jimmy Murphy took #VeseyWatch to the airwaves today, debating the possible landing spots for Harvard star and one-man free agent frenzy Jimmy Vesey. Murphy revealed his prediction to be the New Jersey Devils, based on some inside information, as well as the plethora of USA Hockey connections in the organization and the ample cap space that the Devils have. New Jersey is in a unique situation compared to many of the major players in the Vesey sweepstakes, in that they are well below the NHL salary cap, so the roster that Vesey sees now is unlikely to change due to his signing there, and down the road the Devils could have the space to award Vesey with an expensive, long-term extension.

As a New England station, the pair then predictably analyzed the prospect of Vesey on the Boston Bruins. However, neither felt strongly about the Bruins’ chances. They felt that Claude Julien’s approach of being hard on young players and making them earn their play time, a system that sent Alexander Khokhlachev packing to Russia, may scare away a college free agent like Vesey. They also described the Bruins as a poor fit for Vesey compared to rest of the field, as they could not guarantee him success and playoff experience due to their poor defensive depth, nor could they guarantee him a top six role, with Brad Marchand, Matt Beleskey, and Frank Vatrano in the fold and Julien’s penchant for being tough on young players.

However, when Harvard University head coach Ted Donato, a former Bruin himself, joined the show, the mood towards the Bruins changed somewhat. He acknowledged  that Vesey “is and always will be” a Bruins fan, and said that he knows from experience that Boston has a great fan base and strong tradition, and that it is an honor for local kids to play for the team. Donato sounded skeptical about the current Boston team when asked about the state of the Bruins, but seemed optimistic about the moves they have made with an eye toward the future. Whether or not that is an obligatory remark from the father of Bruins prospect Ryan Donato, it seems like Donato considers the Bruins to be very much in the mix for Vesey’s talents.

Donato did stop short of endorsing the Bruins as the destination for Vesey though, and said that he has tried to stay away from that situation. He describes Vesey as being “smart”, “well-spoken” and “humble”, and that he, his family, and his agents are taking a “down-to-earth” and reasonable approach to finding the right spot for the Hobey Baker winner. Donato listed the Rangers and Blackhawks (who Sheppard and Murphy call the “Patriots” of the NHL) as great franchises who are in the mix, and said that every team will have something to offer Vesey and that it will be a difficult choice.

While Donato did not reveal any real insider information about Vesey’s decision, it was a good segment from a guy who knows Vesey very well and has NHL experience and a great hockey mind himself. Listen for yourself and learn more about the young man who already has the entire hockey world captivated.

 

Vesey Updates: 8/16/2016

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4:00pm: Teams not considered major contenders for Jimmy Vesey will nonetheless reach out to the representatives of the college star. Even if there is only the slightest chance that Vesey will even meet with the team, it is still worth it to inquire about this unique situation. Two such teams in this position are the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets, though more will surely be calling.

12:32pm: The Boston Bruins are set up to make the final pitch to Vesey, according to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com. This may or may not give the Bruins an advantage over the competition but it can’t hurt Boston to have the final word as they work to recruit the hometown kid.

12:00pm: Even though they haven’t been linked previously as a contender for his services, we can nonetheless now count the Detroit Red Wings out of the Vesey sweepstakes. Ansar Kan of MLive reports that the Wings did indeed make a pitch to Vesey’s camp, focusing on the team’s depth and potential playing time, but according to assistant general manager Ryan Martin, the club was told that Vesey “preferred to play closer to home.” This news might potentially impact the Blackhawks odds of landing the coveted forward since Chicago also is not geographically close to Vesey’s hometown of Boston.

10:36am: Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News confirms the probability that Vesey will also meet with Chicago, Boston and the New York Rangers, “as soon as Wednesday,” before making his final decision by week’s end.

Jimmy Vesey, and speculation surrounding with whom the former Harvard star would sign his first pro contract, has dominated NHL headlines for weeks seemingly. With time having run out on Buffalo’s window of exclusivity to get the young forward under contract, any other club interested in bringing Vesey into the fold can officially begin negotiating with his representation as of 12:01am today. Even though it’s been reported Vesey will likely not sign until later this week, Pro Hockey Rumors will continue to monitor the latest news today using this post with updates appearing at the top of this post.

According to Mark Divver of The Providence Journal, Vesey is set to meet with the Isles, Penguins, Leafs and Devils today. While it was expected that essentially every NHL club would express at least some interest in adding Vesey to their ranks, the Penguins have rarely been listed among the top suitors up to this point. But the opportunity to play with two of the world’s best players – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin – and for a team fresh off a Stanley Cup win has to be enticing so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise Vesey would at least meet with the Pittsburgh contingent as he weighs his options.

It’s likely that Vesey and his reps will also take meetings with other teams throughout the week before making his decision. Chicago has often been listed as a potential front-runner in the sweepstakes and Boston is Vesey’s hometown team so expect both of those clubs to also get a shot to woo him in person.

 

 

The Jimmy Vesey Sweepstakes Begin

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After months of speculation, Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey finally has his wish and is now an unrestricted free agent. The Nashville Predators’ 66th 0verall pick in 2012 is now an unrestricted free agent as of 12:01 AM EST. However, Vesey isn’t expected to sign anywhere until later this week.

Vesey is not the only pending free agent coming out of college, but he’s definitely the biggest name on the list. He’s expected to be able to step right in to an NHL team’s top nine forwards and produce. The Hockey News’ 2016-17 Pool Guide predicted his output at 18 goals and 20 assists in 80 games. Thirty-eight points as a rookie would put him in the same neighbourhood as Sam Bennett, Joonas Donskoi, Robby Fabbri, and Nikolaj Ehlers in 2015-16.

Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, New Jersey, New York Rangers, and Toronto have all been talked about as potential landing spots. Each has certain charms that would entice Vesey. You can read Pro Hockey Rumors’ breakdown of each of those teams here.

Wherever he signs, Vesey will get the maximum allowable rookie salary $925K plus $2.85MM in bonuses for a potential total of $3.775MM per season for two seasons. This means his decision will be made based on the situation of the team, and not money.

Of course, signing college free agents hasn’t always turned out for NHL teams. When Justin Schultz signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, he was expected to be the Paul Coffey of the modern Oilers. Instead, his game stagnated and he was ultimately booed out of town; he was traded to Pittsburgh where he was slotted as a bottom pairing/ depth defenseman. TSN radio host Jason Gregor penned a piece on college free agents at Oilers Nation on Monday, where he quoted an NHL scout as saying “NCAA free agents have become the most overrated and over-hyped asset in hockey”.

It’s not that they’re not good players, the scout told Gregor. It’s that “teams treat them like they are going to be stars. They get into bidding wars and pay them like they are top-three draft picks. It’s crazy,” according to the scout.

Recent college signing Kevin Hayes represents a decent comparable. His two NHL seasons of 36 and 45 points would represent a solid start for Vesey as a future top six winger. That’s an impressive total for a rookie, but not in the first-overall-pick range. Adjusting for the lockout-shortened season and Connor McDavid’s injury-shortened campaign, the last five forwards selected first overall have scored an average of 59 points in their rookie season. Taylor Hall’s 42 points represents the low end, while McDavid’s 87-point-pace is the high mark.

More to come…

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