Former Harvard star and Hobey Baker Award winner, jimmy
Vesey has narrowed his list of teams he would like to sign with down to six,
according to Stephen Harris of the Boston
Herald.
The Buffalo Sabres currently hold the exclusive rights to
Vesey, after a trade with the Nashville Predators in June. The Predators
drafted Vesey in the third round of the 2012 National Hockey League Draft. Buffalo
has been unable to sign the 23-year-old left winger, but are still in the mix
for him.
Vesey who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on
Monday August 15, recently held a meeting with his agent and his family to
discuss his options.
Peter Fish, who represents Vesey said, “Just to kind of finalize our thoughts. We have all been running around
doing stuff this summer, but we are finally getting down to the nitty gritty.”
While all 30 teams will most likely give him a call starting
Monday, His hometown Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago
Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are the other teams besides
the Sabres leading the way.
Vesey’s father is a scout for the Maple Leafs. Devils general
manager, Ray Shero, watched him play in the Foxboro Sports Center Pro League on
Wednesday.
A report from Comcast Sportsnet New England, cited two
anonymous sources, on Wednesday, stating that the Bruins are not in believed to
be amongst the forward’s top three choices. One of the sources did tell CSNNE,
that the top three choices include the Blackhawks, Rangers and Devils.
WKBW in Buffalo was able to find out in a statement from one
of Vesey’s representatives stating, “There
are no front runners. Jimmy will go through the process and Buffalo will be
part of that process. Everything said or read until that time is speculation.”
Fish said, “His client
wants to see things through, and is thoroughly considering all factors before making
a decision. We have looked at depth charts with some teams and talked about
them. There is obviously a lot that goes into it. The city, the coach, the GM,
the salary structure, how a team treats their players in the second and third
contracts down the road.”
Vesey will only be signing a two-year deal once he becomes a
free agent on Monday. Of the teams said to be in play many offer him something
different for him to look for.
The Rangers have New York City and are in search of some
young blood to help goaltender Henrik Lundqvist as he enters the final seasons
left in the prime of his career. The Devils are another team getting younger
and starting to rebuild and turn their franchise back in the right direction. They
are not that far from New York as well.
The Blackhawks give Vesey the option of playing with Jonathan
Toews and Patrick Kane to go along with the organizations recent history of
winning hockey the last few seasons. The history surrounding the Maple Leafs and
the sport, as well as his father being a scout in Toronto can help their case
in getting the forward to sign with them.
The Maple Leafs also
have some young players filling out their roster to go along with a top rated
coach, Mike Babcock and general manager, Lou Lamoriello.
With the Sabres starting to improve and having some good
young players could be a benefit in their case for him. Vesey along with Jack Eichel
could give the Sabres a similar situation to what Chicago has with Kane and
Toews.
The Bruins who may still have some work to do in their
rebuilding process, give Vesey the option of playing in front of his friends
and family, for his hometown team.
If the Sabres are not able to reach an agreement with
Charlestown, Massachusetts native before midnight on Monday, his other
potential suitors will be able to make their case to get him to join their
team.
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