This summer has been one of both refreshment and familiarity for the New York Rangers, and there is no better way to describe the addition that was announced about the Rangers today. Former Ranger Jimmy Vesey has signed a professional tryout with the Rangers in hopes of finding another job at the NHL level before the start of the 2022-23 season.
#NYR have signed UFA forward Jimmy Vesey to a PTO.https://t.co/4enJBMnM5c https://t.co/e9zqrzYMpe
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) September 2, 2022
Since he was traded away from the Rangers, Vesey has struggled to find the same level of consistency he had in New York. Spending time with Buffalo, Toronto, Vancouver, and New Jersey. During his first stint with the Rangers, Vesey played in 240 NHL games scoring 50 goals and 40 assists for a pleasing 90 points. However, many will point out correctly that Vesey signing with the Rangers was a long time ago.
Vesey has struggled to find any kind of success on the ice since he was traded to Buffalo. He has just 45 points since leaving the Rangers almost three years ago. That is in 182 games for 4 different teams in that time frame. If you watched the “All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs” Amazon documentary, you’ll remember that Vesey was waived by the Leafs due to his struggles, and was claimed by Vancouver.
Whether Vesey does end up getting a contract from the Rangers ahead of the season or not is kind of irrelevant at this point in time. What this does mean is that the Rangers are giving a chance to someone that they have had success with in the past that plays in a position that the Rangers are not entirely confident in. Whether he ends up snatching a league minimum deal, that’s now in his hands. It’ll be entirely based on his performance.
New York has done this to increase the competition for places when training camp starts soon, and they will look for competition within the organization for places. This will help the Rangers get the best of their players, and it may be Vesey’s last chance to keep his job in North America.