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Why Jimmy Vesey Should Sign with the Philadelphia Flyers

By Ryan Quigley

Apr 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A banner honoring owner Ed Snyder who passed away hangs outside of the Wells Fargo Center before game between Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals in game three of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A banner honoring owner Ed Snyder who passed away hangs outside of the Wells Fargo Center before game between Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals in game three of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jimmy Vesey should seriously consider joining the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s August 14, which means Jimmy Vesey, college hockey’s highly coveted superstar, will hit the open market at midnight. Vesey is a rare talent with good size and a tremendous hockey IQ, which makes sense considering his past studies at Harvard University. After recording 104 points in only 70 games the last two seasons for Harvard, Vesey was awarded the Hobey Baker Award this year (hockey’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy).

It’s not hard to see why every NHL team is pining to sign Vesey after his negotiating rights were traded from the Nashville Predators to the Buffalo Sabres earlier this offseason. Vesey is a special player who could potentially become an elite talent in the NHL. That said, why would Vesey want to join the Philadelphia Flyers? Well, there are several reasons.

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He could immediately slot in as a top-six forward

Vesey is a winger, which just so happens to be a position the Flyers are desperately in need of. If Vesey signed with Philadelphia, he would have every opportunity to slot in as a top-six winger for the Flyers, which he may not get the chance to do with some of his other options.

As of right now, the Flyers’ top two lines are essentially locked into place. Claude Giroux centering Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier centering Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds seem like logical line combinations. Theoretically, however, Vesey could slot in well in either of these lines. If that were the case, Raffl would likely be the player to drop to the third line, giving Vesey an elite supporting cast of proven point producers.

Needless to say, a second line consisting of Vesey, Couturier and Simmonds would be quite a treat to watch.

The Flyers are young and on the rise

As a young player, you probably want to sign with a team most likely to contend for a Stanley Cup. While the Flyers aren’t contenders right now, they will be very, very soon and it wouldn’t be crazy to assume Vesey would want to be a part of it.

Over the next few years, the Flyers will see a plethora of elite prospects making their way into the NHL. Ivan Provorov is likely going to make the Flyers out of training camp with Travis Konecny trying to crack the roster as well (and he should, by the way). Before we know it, the Flyers’ blueline will consist of Provorov, Sam Morin, Travis Sanheim and Shayne Gostisbehere, which will be one of Philadelphia’s deepest young bluelines in what seems like centuries.

By throwing Vesey up front with their already talented, but shallow group of forwards, the Flyers would take a remarkable step closer to the ultimate prize.

Ron Hextall

It’s no secret that Ron Hextall is a silver tongued devil. His negotiating skills are top-notch and there is no reason to believe he wouldn’t be able to persuade a young Vesey into joining an up-and-coming team like the Flyers.

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Keep in mind, this is the man that was able to send Zac Rinaldo—yes, Zac Rinaldo—to the Boston Bruins for a third round pick. He essentially talked those poor souls over in Boston into just giving the Flyers an extra pick in the draft, which is pretty amazing.

If that can be done, anything can be done and Vesey joining the Flyers is no exception.

Coincidentally, one of the teams rumored most likely to land Vesey is Boston. Vesey grew up in Massachusetts and rooted for the black and gold. However, the NHL is a business and Vesey’s decision will have to be based on what is best for his family and himself. Maybe that means choosing Boston to stay with his family and friends, but at the same time, there are just as many on-ice benefits to joining a team like Philadelphia compared to the off-ice benefits of staying in the town he grew up in.

It’s unclear where Vesey will end up going, but it won’t be long until we find out.

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