Predators congratulate Vesey for winning Hobey Baker Award

Well, this is awkward.

The Nashville Predators offered congratulations to Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey after he was named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player Friday.

Last month, Vesey informed the Predators he wouldn't sign with them, and would instead explore free agency when eligible on Aug. 15.

Nashville made the 22-year-old winger a third-round pick in 2012, but he spurned them last April to return to Harvard for his senior season before rejecting them again last week.

After accepting the award Friday, Vesey said there's no favorite to sign him yet, and his father added that his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs won't determine his son's future.

Whether this was a last-ditch effort to get back in his good graces, or simply a sincere and heartfelt sentiment, it's a bad look.