At 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Harvard University star Jimmy Vesey will become an unrestricted free agent, as he’s planned to do since he spurned the Nashville Predators — the team that had drafted him — earlier in the offseason.
One of the most frequent questions we’ve seen in the BSH mentions on Twitter, or in our email, or in the comments on our Facebook page this summer have been about the Flyers’ chances of signing Vesey in free agency.
All signs point to the Flyers being interested, but that they aren’t one of the front-runners. That may just be the impact of Ron Hextall keeping a tight lid on the inner workings of his front office — notice how rumors about the Flyers almost never come out anymore, certainly not when compared to the days under Paul Holmgren? Or it may just be because there’s not much there between the two sides.
- Buffalo currently holds Vesey’s rights, but that expires at midnight. He could still sign with the Sabres after those rights expire, of course, but much like in Nashville, if he wanted to be there he would probably have a contract already.
- He’s a Boston kid who has played hockey his entire life in Boston (or Cambridge, if you wanna nitpick), so there’s talk of the Bruins being the front-runner. Makes sense. Massholes stick together.
- His dad works for the Maple Leafs, so there’s talk of them being the front-runner. Please no. That team has enough young talent already.
- The Rangers have had interest in every free agent that’s ever existed in the NHL, because they are desperate buffoons.
- The Devils could be a low-key front-runner because of the opportunity they can offer Vesey on their top two lines. In other words, Vesey could step in quickly there because the Devils don’t know how to score goals otherwise. I mean, after Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, they have uhh … Lee Stempniak! Yeah!
- And of course, the Blackhawks are there. They are the Blackhawks. Also, water is wet. /
The Flyers have an uphill battle to get on Vesey’s short-list, but it’s obviously worth the phone call for Ron Hextall. Vesey will be on an entry-level contract for his first two seasons ($925,000 salary plus bonuses), and there is plenty of evidence that he will be able to step onto the wing at the NHL level and compete pretty quickly. Here’s a scouting report from our friends at Predators blog On The Forecheck, written back when they were still excited about the kid Nashville drafted back in 2012:
From an age, size and skill perspective, Jimmy Vesey could be a key contributor to the Predators lines and identity and a monster in the playoffs for years to come. The first thing you’ll see with Vesey is his 6’3″ and 210 pound frame. The second thing you’ll see is his speed. He’s a mammoth in the corners and does not often lose a battle for the puck. That ability to get to pucks quickly and win battles, as well as his shooting mentality (he averages just under 5 shots a game for Harvard) will be important for Peter Laviolette’s possession and shot-based system.
Along with those things, Vesey is a natural goal scorer (74 goals in 118 games in his college career,) has developed great playmaking ability, has a great hockey sense, and plays a 200 foot game. With those things he can absolutely take over a game at the college level. He breaks up a ton of plays in the defensive zone and will carry the puck up the ice through the opposition to set up a teammate with a filthy pass or score a highlight reel goal. He won’t be as effective at that in the NHL due to the skill level of the opposition but you get the point: he’s one heck of a hockey player.
The Flyers are not very deep at the wing, and as has become clear over the last few summers, offensive firepower is quickly becoming the area where the Flyers lack depth. Even with Travis Konecny in the system and steps taken in the 2016 draft to rectify this, those aren’t necessarily immediate fixes. Vesey could be part of the immediate solution.
Vesey could jump in and add another element — at a pretty affordable price tag for the first two years — that could alter the outlook for this team, which hopes to contend for the Stanley Cup again in the next 2-3 seasons. Vesey would be a major piece in that should he choose to sign here, adding speed and two-way skill to the top-six.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like the stars are aligning here. The 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner as college hockey’s best player will probably wind up elsewhere. Let’s just hope it’s not elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division.
