New York Rangers 2017-18 Report Card: Jimmy Vesey

Jimmy Vesey went into his second season with the New York Rangers looking to live up to the hype he caused as a college free agent. Did he meet expectations?

Just two years ago, Jimmy Vesey was a highly touted free agent after graduating from Harvard University. He signed with the New York Rangers, and now has two NHL seasons under his belt.

The past two seasons were Vesey’s chance to show who he is at the NHL level. He is in great company among past Hobey Baker Award winners for the best player in NCAA Divison I Hockey. This includes the Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau from neighboring Boston College.

Has he been able to live up to the hype? The answer, simply put, is no.

Vesey has had two average seasons with the Rangers and has shown his ceiling may not be as high as originally thought.

Inconsistent Consistency

Vesey ended the season in a three-way tie for ninth on the Rangers in points with 28. The other players with 28 points were Rick Nash and David Desharnais.

Vesey’s statistics from this season are almost identical to those from last season.

This season he scored 17 goals and last season he scored 16. He tallied 11 assists both this and last season. So, he ends 2017-18 with one more point than the season before.

His possession metrics are also almost exactly the same, jumping from a 44.9 to a 45.3 in CF%. This is a far cry from the Jimmy Vesey that earned 58 and 46 points in his last two seasons at Harvard.

In his time in the NHL, he has proven to be consistently inconsistent. He will spend weeks nearly invisible on the ice, and then go on a hot streak. Then the cycle repeats.

It’s as though he is having an identity crisis of sorts. Will he continue to be a skill player like he was in college? Or is he more of a power forward at the NHL level?

We saw glimpses of both this season. It is up to Vesey, and the new head coach, to determine which path leads to the most success.

Then there were the injuries he incurred this season. He infamously had his teeth lodged in his lower lip after taking a skate to the face against the Edmonton Oilers. Later in the season, he took a big hit against the Nashville Predators and was sidelined with a concussion.

Put all of these factors together, in addition to an overall bad season for this Rangers team, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Looking to the Future

Going forward, it will be important to see how Vesey fits into the new head coach’s system. While he spent time in the top six forwards under Alain Vigneault, it may not be the most effective place for him.

With the rebuild ongoing, it’s not surprising to hear any names in trade rumors. He is an RFA this offseason, along with Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner, and his roommates Kevin Hayes and Brady Skjei. General Manager Jeff Gorton may decide to move one of those players in an effort to save cap space for the rest.

Vesey entered the NHL with a bang as one of the most highly sought-after college free agents. His journey since then has been more trying.

Next: New York Rangers 2017-18 report card: Neal Pionk

His past season in New York was more of the same, nothing more nothing less. It’s beginning to look like he will not live up to the hype.

GRADE: C

Home/Analysis