Decision time approaches for Jimmy Vesey, but the Philadelphia Flyers are not getting much buzz as a factor in the chase
In the slow news month for hockey that is August, the pursuit of college free agent Jimmy Vesey is pretty much the top news story for NHL fans to talk about. We initially discussed this situation last month.
Related Story: Flyers Taking Place in Line for Vesey
To be brief, Vesey is a power forward and 3rd round pick in the 2012 draft. Since then, he’s had a great college career at Harvard but declined to sign with the team that drafted him, the Nashville Predators. As such, he will be a free agent this summer.
Even more enticing for NHL teams is that Vesey’s free agent contract is under strict financial limits, making him affordable to many NHL teams. The annual value of any contract he signs cannot be higher than $925,000 (plus bonuses).
As such, Vesey’s destination will purely be a matter of perceived fit with a team. As of writing our last article, the top contenders were considered the Buffalo Sabres, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins.
Now if you believe the latest buzz this weekend as the decision approaches, the favorites look very different. For one, some reports say his hometown team, the Boston Bruins, are not a top contender. Other names that have risen in the meantime are the New Jersey Devils, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs also remain a contender.
It’s an awful lot of speculation around a young player who has never played in the NHL. Everyone is basically trying to read tea leaves on his subjective choices, but we’ll find out soon.
Vesey’s agent has said that “We’ve looked at depth charts with some teams and talked about them. . . . There’s obviously a lot of thought 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.”
It is also clear that Vesey wants to stay on the East Coast. His other top criteria would be the chance to contribute to a competitive team immediately. Reading between all these lines, you’d expect the Philadelphia Flyers to be strong contenders.
That said, there is nothing concrete at all to report on the Flyers’ potential chase of Vesey. If the Flyers are a serious candidate for Vesey, Hextall is doing it on stealth mode. Nevertheless, there is a clear case for why Vesey should come to Philadelphia.
Related Story: Why Jimmy Vesey Should Sign with Flyers
Personally, I can see the case for a team like the Blackhawks as perennial contender who needs to shuffle in new players because of cap constraints. He also may see a team like the New Jersey Devils on the rise in the next few years. Alternatively, the appeal of the New York Rangers mystifies me as their Stanley Cup window has closed and their system is devoid of picks and prospects because of trades the last few seasons.
It shouldn’t take long to find out if the Philadelphia Flyers have a chance at Vesey. Failing to sign Vesey would hardly be terrible news for the Flyers, but bagging Vesey’s signature might instantly make the Flyers’ offseason a huge success.
The race for Vesey officially begins at midnight Monday night.