Jimmy Vesey has become a forgotten man within the New York Rangers fanbase. A player who opted not to sign with the Nashville Predators out of college came to the Rangers almost 10 years ago and has since shown himself to be a good NHL player. His first time with the Rangers saw him traded to the Buffalo Sabres, where he'd begin to bounce around the league a little, spending time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils before returning to the Garden in a depth role.
This season, he struggled to get into the swing of things on the Rangers fourth line, and now he's sitting in the press box watching the Blueshirts try to turn things around. Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe have established themselves as the first-choice fourth-line for Peter Laviolette moving forward, and with a great reason. They've been fantastic lately, with Rempe, in particular, becoming a good player to replace Vesey.
Chris Drury and the Rangers management are left with one burning question. What does the team do with Vesey? There's no denying he's not had the season he wants out of himself, but being left wanting more isn't new for the Rangers. You can argue half the forward core falls under this point, but Vesey has lost his spot in the starting lineup, leading to the inevitable conclusion of a trade.
Both parties might enjoy a fresh change. New York can use the extra space to continue to accrue cap space for the trade deadline, while Vesey can get back into the lineup and fight for a place in the league next year when his contract expires. Vesey only makes $800,000 until the end of the year, so most teams can take that deal on without issue. We'll see where Vesey ends up, but it seems increasingly like the Rangers will move on from their Bostonian winger.