Some NHL players spend the majority of their careers luckily tied to one organization; however, many players feel like they’re more carnival workers and travel from town to town and team to team throughout the United States and Canada. For veteran winger Jimmy Vesey, the opportunity to return to the New York Rangers seems like a “welcome home” chance and this second opportunity may be a prudent move for both Vesey and the Rangers alike.
Jimmy Vesey – journeyman hockey player
Jimmy Vesey is the quintessential “journeyman” hockey player who’s moved around the ranks of various NHL organizations. Most fans hardly realize that Vesey was a top collegiate player at Harvard and received the Hobey Baker Award. Vesey was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft but never signed with the Predators. Later, Vesey maneuvered around signing with the Buffalo Sabres until he was finally selected as an unrestricted free agent by the Rangers.
Jimmy Vesey spent three solid years with the Rangers once he left college after 2016 and played in 240 games for the Blueshirts and produced 50 goals and 90 total points as a third and fourth line winger. Vesey has moved from Buffalo to Toronto, Vancouver and last season played with the New Jersey Devils and played in a total of 422 games while putting up a total of 135 points. Vesey has never been in a ‘star” role but has added depth to each team along the way in his NHL career.
What do the Rangers plan to do with Vesey?
October 17, 2016: New York Rangers Left Wing Jimmy Vesey (26) during player warm-up’s prior to the start of a NHL game between the San Jose Sharks and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)As a 29 year old veteran, Vesey signed with the Devils last season for an $800,000 salary and that will no doubt be his bargaining limit again this season. Vesey was signed by the Rangers to a professional tryout (PTO) contract recently and will have to earn a spot against new prospects and returning Rangers in training camp. More than likely, Vesey will be looked at as a depth player and may find himself on a fourth line as a winger if in fact he does make the Rangers active roster. The Rangers also have the option of signing Vesey to an AHL contract and send him to Hartford where they’ll have the ability to call him up on a as-needed basis, possibly as injury replacement during the upcoming season.
