9:44 AM: Jimmy Vesey has signed a Pro Tryout contract with the Rangers. (Cap Friendly)
It was reported last month that Vesey was likely going to return to the Rangers.
The Rangers traded Vesey to Buffalo on July 1, 2019 for a 2021 third round pick. The cap space created by Vesey’s departure helped the Rangers open up more space to sign Artemi Panarin. The Rangers chose center Jayden Grubbe with that pick.
Since leaving the Rangers, Vesey played the 2019-20 season in Buffalo, split the 2020-21 season between Toronto and Vancouver and played 68 games for the Devils last season.
He had 50 goals and 40 assists in 240 games with the Rangers and 22 goals and 23 assists in 182 games since leaving the Rangers.
Vesey had 8 goals and 7 assists for the Devils last season, a minus-24 rating, 85 hits and an average of 14:25 per game.
Adam Rotter: So this is really a no-risk move for the Rangers. Vesey comes to camp on a PTO and if he plays well and earns a spot he’ll likely get a one-year deal near the league minimum. If he doesn’t play well or earn his spot then the Rangers will let him go and Vesey will have to make a decision on where his future in hockey will be.
It’s important to separate Vesey the name with Vesey the current player. The Vesey name still carries around the hype that came with his decisions to spurn Nashville and Buffalo and then sign with the Rangers. The Vesey name can still elicit the hope that maybe this is the time, even at 29, where he finally becomes a 25-goal guy, reliable top-nine player and become someone that is more capable of just showing flashes. The Vesey reality though is someone who has played on four different teams in the past three years, couldn’t find consistency when, for a time, he played with the big guys in Toronto or with Jack Eichel in Buffalo. He was a nice depth player for the Devils last season, but that is all it seems like he is at this point. Would I like to see Vesey in the lineup over a Dryden Hunt or Julien Gauthier just based on those memories of hype and potential? Probably, but he’s going to really have to earn his spot. He does have a connection to Chris Drury through some Boston-area ties, but also as Drury was one of the main people that helped Vesey get to the Rangers in the first place.