Rumor: All Encompassing Jimmy Vesey Thread. All Rumors/News goes here. Part IV

[Juxtaposer]

Got no beef with Vesey. Nashville got a 3rd back for him, and Buffalo knew the risks of trading for his rights when they made the deal.

To everyone criticizing him and calling him selfish and entitled, he isn't Lebron James or Kevin Durant. He's a 23-year-old college grad without ridiculous athlete money who is being courted by multiple top NHL teams. Why not listen to their offers, let them buy you dinner, meet their top players and have them sell you on their franchises?

It's very likely he'll never get the opportunity to be courted like this again, so why not take advantage of the experience when you have it? The entire hockey world is focused on you, why not enjoy it?

You're right. Kevin Durant and LeBron James are established SUPERSTARS.

Vesey spurning Nashville rubs me the wrong way, but he technically isn't doing anything wrong, so whatever. He'll be a decent 2nd liner at best anyway. But what ticks me off is you suggesting that Durant or LeBron somehow did something wrong by making a bit of a spectacle of their UFA decisions, as if they haven't earned it.

 

[Territory]

It's being reported that the Bruins will be the last team Vesey speaks with.

Which makes it seem like he is leaning towards Boston but wants to cover all his bases with other teams first.

Or I'm just reading into things too much .

 

[Devilswede]

I really just can't see him signing with anyone else but the Bruins. All signs point to Boston. They have since day one.

Somehow it feels like the other teams are wasting their time.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Oh, I didn't realize that means he's retiring soon. He is still a top 5 goalie.

Let's see how he ages...

 

[FLYLine27*]

Let's see how he ages...

Well, he is aging pretty damn well so far considering he is still a top goalie despite being one of the older starting goalies. So yea, we shall see.

 

[JLarucci23]

Haven't we heard that the 2nd contract is a big thing for Vesey? I can't imagine Chicago is a real player if that's the case, all things considered with a few of their RFA sacrifices recently, and no real cap relief in sight with a few of those contracts.

Of course a lot can change, but even with the 2 year ELC, followed by a 2 year bridge, the Hawks still have Kane/Toews/Hossa/Anisimov/Seabrook/Keith on the books four seasons from now.

I'm not saying to count Chicago out, but I'd be surprised if he lands there.

If the Second contract is the most important and Im Stan Bowman. I say, "Jimmy, have you heard of Brandon Saad?" Whether he gets paid in Chicago or anywhere else it won't matter if he doesnt go to place to earn that second contract.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Vesey definitely wanted to be polite to Detroit. He didn't want to tell them that he didn't want to play for a mediocre team.

If that's the case, then why are Buffalo, Boston, Leafs, and NJ, all of which were worse than Detroit this past season, on his list of teams?

 

[HarrisonFord]

Being reported by whom?

Haggerty. lol

 

[Territory]

If that's the case, then why are Buffalo, Boston, Leafs, and NJ, all of which were worse than Detroit this past season, on his list of teams?

Boston is his home, and Buffalo, Toronto, and NJ are teams on the rise.

Detroit is declining.

Not hard to understand.

 

[silverfish]

Let's see how he ages...

Could argue he just posted a career year. So far, so good.

If the Second contract is the most important and Im Stan Bowman. I say, "Jimmy, have you heard of Brandon Saad?" Whether he gets paid in Chicago or anywhere else it won't matter if he doesnt go to place to earn that second contract.

The guy who they traded after three seasons because they couldn't afford him? Your pitch to Vesey is, hey, come play with us for two seasons but then have no say where you go after that since we won't pay you because we might not be able to?

 

[AD1066]

If that's the case, then why are Buffalo, Boston, Leafs, and NJ, all of which were worse than Detroit this past season, on his list of teams?

As a Detroit fan, Buffalo and Toronto have better outlooks moving forward. Detroit seems headed for the inevitable rebuild at some point, while BUF and TOR are well into theirs.

NJ and BOS have better proximity to home. Not sure about their outlooks.

 

[CodeE]

You're right. Kevin Durant and LeBron James are established SUPERSTARS.

Vesey spurning Nashville rubs me the wrong way, but he technically isn't doing anything wrong, so whatever. He'll be a decent 2nd liner at best anyway. But what ticks me off is you suggesting that Durant or LeBron somehow did something wrong by making a bit of a spectacle of their UFA decisions, as if they haven't earned it.

You misunderstood my intent with that statement, I wasn't calling Durant or Lebron selfish and/or entitled, I was saying that Vesey isn't a legit superstar, he's a prospect who won the Hobey Baker but is still largely unproven. Thus, he should take advantage of the circus because it's highly unlikely they'll ever be another mass frenzy to sign him ever again.

 

[deckercky]

Could argue he just posted a career year. So far, so good.



The guy who they traded after three seasons because they couldn't afford him? Your pitch to Vesey is, hey, come play with us for two seasons but then have no say where you go after that since we won't pay you because we might not be able to?

"We will put you in a position to succeed and earn money" is a pretty reasonable pitch.


Considering his interest in being close to home, that would balance against stability within a franchise (eg, is he likely to stay with the team if he is successful).

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

Why? Pittsburgh has a lot they could offer him (2016 champs, two world class centers to play with and strong contenders for 2017+) . Would I be disappointed if he went to NYR? Sure, but no more so then if he went anywhere else in the EC.

Oh no, I know that Pittsburgh has a lot to offer him, and it'd make sense if he went there. It's just as a Rangers fan i'd be upset that The Pens offense gets even more stacked, when it's already arguably one of the Top 3 best in the NHL.

Plus i'm still salty over Bengtsson.

 

[DarthProbert]

It is going to be glorious when this kid flops and is a permanent AHL fixture in 2 - 3 years.

How so? How does that benefit anyone or anything?

 

[Juxtaposer]

You misunderstood my intent with that statement, I wasn't calling Durant or Lebron selfish and/or entitled, I was saying that Vesey isn't a legit superstar, he's a prospect who won the Hobey Baker but is still largely unproven. Thus, he should take advantage of the circus because it's highly unlikely they'll ever be another mass frenzy to sign him ever again.

Ah, my mistake then. Apologies for the misunderstanding.

 

[Charlie Conway]

Probably not, but at 34 how long do you (and more importantly Vesey) see him as one of the league's best who will lead his team to the post season? 2 years? 3 years? Maybe 4 years? NYR is going to change as Lundqvist ages and goes from one of the top 2-4 goalies in the league to one of the top 10 to top 20/30 as he ages.

We (NYR) are slowly getting younger. I feel like it's one of those stereotypes (like the one that has us signing free agents to massive contracts) that is no longer entirely true.

Our forward group:

Kreider (25) - Stepan (26) - Nash (32)
Miller (23) - Zibby (23) - Zuccs (28)
Buchnevich (21) - Hayes (24) - Grabner (28)
Gerbe (29) - Jooris (26) - Fast (25)

and we have potential bottom-6'ers in Hrivik (24) and Jensen (23) who could replace Gerbe, Grabner, or Jooris. Plus Lindberg (25) is currently out with injury to start the season, and Tambellini (21) could get a game here and there.

It's a possibility Nash gets moved within the next year or so, and guys like Gerbe and Grabner are just one-year guys. No key player will be on the other side of 30.

As for defense, yeah, they're a bit older, but still, defense tends to older in any case, and we're rotating in younger guys.

McDonagh (27) - Girardi (32)
Staal (29) - Klein (31)
Skjei (22) - McIlrath (24)

And then you have guys Paliotta (23), Clendening (23), and Graves (21) that could be call-ups and potentially fight for spots.

Yeah, Lundqvist is 34, but Halverson, Shestyorkin, and Huska all have potential NHL-starter upside. Raanta is filling in the blanks. And we still have potential in guys like Hellberg and Skapski, both of whom are more like long shots at this point.


Point being--we're not that old. Vesey would fit right into the age range of the new, younger core, and, with our prospect pool being a bit empty, he has a realistic shot of cracking the lineup.

 

[Ishad]

Boston is his home, and Buffalo, Toronto, and NJ are teams on the rise.

Detroit is declining.

Not hard to understand.

Toronto is on the rise because they have nowhere to go but up

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

Oh, I didn't realize that means he's retiring soon. He is still a top 5 goalie.

Still a top 3 goalie.

 

[JustABlackhawksFan]

If the Second contract is the most important and Im Stan Bowman. I say, "Jimmy, have you heard of Brandon Saad?" Whether he gets paid in Chicago or anywhere else it won't matter if he doesnt go to place to earn that second contract.

Panarin is also going to make mega bank on his second contract. The difference between Panarin and Saad is I think the Hawks will find a way to keep Panarin.

If you come along and are SO good that you make yourself an essential part of the core going forward, the Hawks will find a way to keep you. There are always other players that can be traded away to make it work. This is what is likely happening with Panarin. The fact that TT and Shaw were dealt shows they are making room to pay him next season.

TT and Shaw, meanwhile, have a Cup or in Shaw's case two Cups and a nice new payday for their troubles.

IF the Hawks signed Vesey and he were so good that they want to keep him around to play with Toews forevermore, then they could make it work, but other sacrifices would need to be made.

If not, well, Vesey could still probably maximize his value on his second contract playing on a team like Chicago as opposed to some other teams on the list.

It all depends on what is most important to Vesey: location or money.

From what the signs point to, it is location, which is why I think it will be Boston in the end.

But the fact that Chicago is on the list at all has to count for something...

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Boston is his home, and Buffalo, Toronto, and NJ are teams on the rise.

Detroit is declining.

Not hard to understand.

Correct, that's my point. It's not as simple as just being a "mediocre team", because if it was just that, some of these other teams wouldn't be in the hunt either. There are many other factors that are coming into play vs. just the quality of the team. My "guess" is that Vesey doesn't want to go very far west unless there is another compelling reason (ie..I get to play for the Hawks who are an elite team).

That said, HF wisdom has had tales of Detroit's demise around for years, yet they continue to chug along. HF wisdom has also regularly loved the rebuilding teams with young talent, only to see it not always come to fruition. Will also be interesting to see a few years from now which of the rebuilding darlings actually become something and which ones don't.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

I already miss getting all excited seeing the trade prefix, then realizing it's just the Vesey thread again.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

We (NYR) are slowly getting younger. I feel like it's one of those stereotypes (like the one that has us signing free agents to massive contracts) that is no longer entirely true.

Our forward group:

Kreider (25) - Stepan (26) - Nash (32)
Miller (23) - Zibby (23) - Zuccs (28)
Buchnevich (21) - Hayes (24) - Grabner (28)
Gerbe (29) - Jooris (26) - Fast (25)

and we have potential bottom-6'ers in Hrivik (24) and Jensen (23) who could replace Gerbe, Grabner, or Jooris. Plus Lindberg (25) is currently out with injury to start the season, and Tambellini (21) could get a game here and there.

It's a possibility Nash gets moved within the next year or so, and guys like Gerbe and Grabner are just one-year guys. No key player will be on the other side of 30.

As for defense, yeah, they're a bit older, but still, defense tends to older in any case, and we're rotating in younger guys.

McDonagh (27) - Girardi (32)
Staal (29) - Klein (31)
Skjei (22) - McIlrath (24)

And then you have guys Paliotta (23), Clendening (23), and Graves (21) that could be call-ups and potentially fight for spots.

Yeah, Lundqvist is 34, but Halverson, Shestyorkin, and Huska all have potential NHL-starter upside. Raanta is filling in the blanks. And we still have potential in guys like Hellberg and Skapski, both of whom are more like long shots at this point.


Point being--we're not that old. Vesey would fit right into the age range of the new, younger core, and, with our prospect pool being a bit empty, he has a realistic shot of cracking the lineup.

You forgot the Vigneault factor. There is no Glass in the lineup.

Still a top 3 goalie.

Not over Bishop, Schneider and Holtby.

 

[One Winged Angel]

Haven't we heard that the 2nd contract is a big thing for Vesey? I can't imagine Chicago is a real player if that's the case, all things considered with a few of their RFA sacrifices recently, and no real cap relief in sight with a few of those contracts.

Of course a lot can change, but even with the 2 year ELC, followed by a 2 year bridge, the Hawks still have Kane/Toews/Hossa/Anisimov/Seabrook/Keith on the books four seasons from now.

I'm not saying to count Chicago out, but I'd be surprised if he lands there.

I think that would give Pittsburgh problems as well with all the money they'll either have or will have to tie up into guys like Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Hornqvist, Murray, Kessel, Maatta, etc.

 

[Irishguy42]

Can't we all just get along?

I think all the teams he'll interview with, including the Rangers, have very good selling points for him to consider. The decision isn't as clear cut as some of you guys think it is.