The former Hobey Baker Award winner has played two seasons on Broadway. Is he somebody that the New York Rangers should keep or trade him off for other assets?
Season in Review
Jimmy Vesey came into his sophomore season looking to make a big jump. He scored six goals in his first 10 NHL games a year ago and notched just 10 through his next 70 games. In his second career season, Vesey scored one more goal in one less game. He continued to remain as inconsistent as any player on the team.
Of lineup regulars (players who skated in 60 or more games) Vesey received more ice time than just two forwards: David Desharnais and Paul Carey. While he didn’t receive a ton of ice time, Vesey didn’t really do much with the time he got. He will now go into the offseason looking for his second NHL contract.
Stats and Info
Age Entering Next Season: 25
Seasons with NYR: 2
Previous Cap Hit: $925,000
Games Played: 79
Goals: 17
Assists: 11
Points: 28
+/-: -18
Corsi/Rel -1.2
Projected Contract
2 years, $4 million ($2 million/year)
I think that the Rangers are going to give Vesey a bridge deal. Normally, I am not a supporter of bridge deals, but for a player like Vesey who still needs to prove that he is more than a replacement level third liner, it’s too much of a risk to give him close to four a year, even if it means locking him up for four or five years. This contract would also be very easy to move if they deem that he is no longer part of the team’s future.
What SHOULD Happen
I’ve been a big believer for a while now that Vesey isn’t a player you build around. He is a third liner at best. He is approaching his prime years and still really hasn’t been impressive at this level yet. Having a coach like David Quinn could help Vesey a lot. He is a guy who already knows his strengths and weakness from facing him in college.
Just because he is a former Hobey Baker winner doesn’t mean he’s going to have an NHL future. While there have been some past winners who have made it big in the NHL like Paul Kariya, Chris Drury and Ryan Miller, along with some up and coming stars like Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau, the list is mostly comprised of the Matt Gilroys, Ryan Duncans and Jack Connollys of the world.
With all of that said, I think the Rangers should move him now while his value is still pretty high. They could probably command a high second round pick for his services. Remember, Vesey was a third round pick after all.
Next: Rangers should explore moving DeAngelo to forward
What WILL Happen
I think that the Rangers still consider him a piece of their core, for better or for worse. Having a guy like Quinn come in to coach the team probably bodes well for him like I mentioned above. Quinn is a guy who will give Vesey a run with some more valuable ice time. Quinn’s hands-on style will also help his game since it will help Vesey to pay more attention to the details of the game. At the end of the day, I believe Vesey will be a Ranger on opening night.