New York Rangers: Stop comparing Jimmy Vesey to Pavel Buchnevich

Both Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich joined the New York Rangers as rookies for the 2015-2016 season. Since then, the comparisons have been inevitable. They shouldn’t be.

Anytime one player is giving preferential treatment over another it can inspire factions amongst the fan base. In a market like New York and a team that is rebuilding like the New York Rangers, it is easy for those within to cannibalize one another in the interest of being right and killing time until the team is good again.

Over the past two seasons, the respective developments of both Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey have given those factions plenty to argue about. While both came into the league at the same point, they’ve had different career arcs which stem from a variety of different perceptions and realities.

Coming into the league, Vesey was a highly regarded college free agent that had won the Hobey Baker award at Harvard and won a Beanpot tournament. The Boston native famously spurned both the Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabres and opted to let his draft rights expire to sign with the Rangers.

As for Buchenvich, being that his journey started in Russia, his arch was different. Anytime an NHL franchise drafts a player that plays in the KHL, the organization is playing with fire due to the wonkiness of the league. In the KHL, if a player gets drafted by an NHL team, the Russian league team will intentionally sabotage their development to keep them overseas.

Both of these forwards play different roles and it’s why comparing them is counter-intuitive to productive discourse.

The kit-kat legend

Call it recency bias or call it enjoying players that have an edge, but Vesey has been an outright pleasure to watch this season. While the Harvard product will likely never live up to the recruiting process that accompanied him to the league, pretending he does not fill an important role on the team is lunacy.

Every single quality team has a player that can ruffle the feathers of the other team. Vesey is at his most effective when he’s in the after the whistle mix and irritating the opposition. Even two years removed, the forward’s signature Rangers’ moment was his fight with then Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty in the playoffs.

Add in the fact that Vesey is thriving under David Quinn and it’s easy to understand why the coach is continuing to play the forward in the top six. Vesey is good for at least one good scoring chance a game because of his knack for being in the mix in front of the net. If the former third-round pick could convert more chances, he’d be in the mix for scoring leaders on the team.

Buchy, Baby

As for Buchnevich, the Quinn coaching hire has been more of a shotgun wedding than a match made in heaven. The baseline for a quality hockey player that has always been there is still present, but it isn’t the complete game that the coaching staff wants. In Quinn’s mind, it’s more important to play hard than to play flashy.

Make no mistake, Buchnevich has all of the potential to be a top-six forward and score upwards of 50 points per season. But, the lack of consistent effort has held him back throughout his career. In the past, a lack of opportunity stunted the Russian’s development. Now, he’s simply failing to follow the coaching philosophy and it’s kept him out of the lineup.

However, since he was healthy scratched for two consecutive games, Buchnevich has played noticeably better. It’s not that the forward doesn’t have the talent to produce at a high level, it’s a matter of mindset and opportunity. This is where the player needs to take the next step in his own development.

Not mutually exclusive

Now, the important thing is not pitting Vesey and Buchnevich against one another. Both players can play a role on the Rangers this season and for the foreseeable future. As the season progresses and the roster begins to take its shape, minutes can be allocated with a developmental angle in mind.

That’s ultimately what the situation comes down to, Vesey is likely closer to being a finished product, meaning that he won’t take a drastic jump in his production even though he’s playing better than he ever has before in his career. Since Quinn is still trying to win every single game, as he should, Vesey is being given chances based on his chances to help the team win.

It’s possible to enjoy both players for what they are without demonizing the other. Buchnevich isn’t a lazy Russian and Vesey isn’t an over-privileged USA hockey product. There’s a reason that NHL franchises don’t hire armchair G.Ms or bench bosses over those who have been around the game their entire life.

Sometimes, you just have to trust the professionals based on their experience. They’re the people qualified to be in those positions for a reason.

Enjoy Vesey face washing other team’s players and Buchnevich’s flashy passes. Both players can still exist on the team without taking away from one another.