New York Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey the victim of questionable usage
A handful of games into the 2017-18 season, the New York Rangers are still looking for answers throughout the lineup. Sophomore forward Jimmy Vesey is caught in the jumble, playing against his strengths.
The New York Rangers are off to a dismal start. Losses to the Colorado Avalanche and injury-ravaged St. Louis Blues, and the young and inexperienced New Jersey Devils paint a bleak picture. Meanwhile, head coach Alain Vigneault is in the midst of the most baffling stretch of coaching decisions he’s yet made.
One of those decisions is the use of second-year winger Jimmy Vesey. After a rocky rookie season during which Vesey saw success in offensive minutes with offensively minded linemates, he’s not stuck on the fourth line and second penalty kill unit.
For a player who struggled so much last year when demoted to the fourth line, this is a puzzling decision at best.
Vesey projects as a middle-six power forward, with good hands and a nose for the net. Nothing in his young career thus far suggests that he’s suited for shutdown minutes. And yet, the increasingly maligned Rangers coach has him pigeon-holed.
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Shaky ground
Not so long ago, the Rangers had a reputation for shutting things down when leading in the third period. The likes of Brian Boyle, Dominic Moore, Derek Dorsett, and Oscar Lindberg carried a heavy load, contributing to the infamous Stat.
Now, with all of those players gone, Vigneault is scrambling to find new answers. A number of blown leads during the 2017 playoffs make it clear that a solution must be found.
However, Vesey is not that answer. While the likes of Michael Grabner, David Desharnais, and Adam Cracknell are on the team, Vesey should be playing with talented linemates.
He shouldn’t even sniff the ice during a 4v5 situation, or during the final minutes of defending a lead.
Unfortunately, Vigneault’s tendencies apparently lean more toward the latter. The acquisition of Cracknell has allowed Vesey to slot up the depth chart, but his usage is still concerning.
Through four games, Vesey played 1:34 per game shorthanded. That’s more than noted two-way powerhouse Rick Nash and top center Mika Zibanejad. Only Kevin Hayes (another grossly misused forward) and speedster Grabner see more 4v5 ice than Vesey among forwards.
Vesey’s shot metrics look downright atrocious. All signs point toward a player who needs to be sheltered with playmaking linemates. Indeed, he looked like a fit with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash last season.
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Hope on the horizon
Help may be coming for the New York Rangers, however. Forward Jesper Fast is nearing a return to health, and he is the ideal fourth line forward. He has been a penalty kill mainstay for the last few years and should push Vesey out of that situation.
Unfortunately, Vigneault has also shown a penchant for playing Fast up the lineup. If that occurs again, Vesey could find himself once again playing on the fourth line.
Next: What happens if Zibanejad stumbles?
If Vesey were a center, he’d no doubt have plenty of opportunities to play with premier linemates in the Rangers’ top-six. As it stands now, though, he’s stuck in a grey area and not being given the chances he needs to break out as a contributing offensive player. Vesey seems destined for the dreaded Sophomore Slump.