Maple Leafs Notebook: Gut-check time for Jimmy Vesey - Sportsnet.ca
Jimmy Vesey finally snuffed out his 13-game point drought Saturday night, but it certainly feels like a case of too little, too late.
For his first time as a Toronto Maple Leaf, the 27-year-old winger could be a healthy scratch Monday — and it’ll be up to the player to claw his way back into the lineup he’s gradually descended.
Among the lessons rookie general manager Kyle Dubas learned the hard way in 2020 — proven defensive defencemen are worth the cap hit; better to have too many leaders in the room; depth in net is essential — was this:
When introducing new faces to your roster, put them in a place to succeed.
Memorably, that didn’t happen with 2019-20’s prized acquisition, Tyson Barrie, who suffered a confidence crisis early, and Dubas owned some of that.
So, in assembling this 2020-21 Leafs team, Dubas’s new free agent signings — Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, T.J. Brodie, Zach Bogosian, and Vesey — were handed important and specific roles. Expectations were outlined in detail by coach Sheldon Keefe.
On his third franchise in three seasons, Vesey took a pay cut ($900,000) knowing his future as an NHLer could depend on how he performed in Toronto. Dubas and Keefe did their best to give the Boston native a running start, placing him to the left of John Tavares and William Nylander in the top six.
Vesey scored on a wild opening night versus Montreal, and things looked promising. For a minute.
Despite Toronto’s injury woes, Vesey has played his way down the bench… to the point where he may not be on it.
Vesey’s glaring mistakes may be minimal but so are his impact shifts.
On the league’s No. 2-ranked offensive squad, Vesey’s two goals and two assists over 22 games rank him 16th in Leafs scoring. On nine of his past 11 outings, Vesey has registered one shot or zero shots on net. Four times in February his ice time was chopped to less than 10 minutes. And prior to assisting on Jason Spezza’s vintage goal Saturday, Vesey was mired in a 13-game point drought in which he was minus-6.
Jimmy Vesey finally snuffed out his 13-game point drought Saturday night, but it certainly feels like a case of too little, too late.
For his first time as a Toronto Maple Leaf, the 27-year-old winger could be a healthy scratch Monday — and it’ll be up to the player to claw his way back into the lineup he’s gradually descended.
Among the lessons rookie general manager Kyle Dubas learned the hard way in 2020 — proven defensive defencemen are worth the cap hit; better to have too many leaders in the room; depth in net is essential — was this:
When introducing new faces to your roster, put them in a place to succeed.
Memorably, that didn’t happen with 2019-20’s prized acquisition, Tyson Barrie, who suffered a confidence crisis early, and Dubas owned some of that.
So, in assembling this 2020-21 Leafs team, Dubas’s new free agent signings — Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds, T.J. Brodie, Zach Bogosian, and Vesey — were handed important and specific roles. Expectations were outlined in detail by coach Sheldon Keefe.
On his third franchise in three seasons, Vesey took a pay cut ($900,000) knowing his future as an NHLer could depend on how he performed in Toronto. Dubas and Keefe did their best to give the Boston native a running start, placing him to the left of John Tavares and William Nylander in the top six.
Vesey scored on a wild opening night versus Montreal, and things looked promising. For a minute.
Despite Toronto’s injury woes, Vesey has played his way down the bench… to the point where he may not be on it.
Vesey’s glaring mistakes may be minimal but so are his impact shifts.
On the league’s No. 2-ranked offensive squad, Vesey’s two goals and two assists over 22 games rank him 16th in Leafs scoring. On nine of his past 11 outings, Vesey has registered one shot or zero shots on net. Four times in February his ice time was chopped to less than 10 minutes. And prior to assisting on Jason Spezza’s vintage goal Saturday, Vesey was mired in a 13-game point drought in which he was minus-6.
