On the Fly: Predicting where Jimmy Vesey signs
On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, returns for a summer edition about Jimmy Vesey, who hit the free-agent market Tuesday at midnight ET. Our editors pull out their crystal balls and predict where the college standout will end up.
Chicago Blackhawks
Craig Hagerman: Just like they seemingly do every trade deadline, the Blackhawks will find a way to nab the biggest fish left on the market this offseason.
While the club is usually up against the salary cap ceiling, at present Chicago has roughly $2.4 million in available funds - more than enough to ink Vesey to an entry-level contract, barring bonuses.
The Blackhawks, as we all know, are stacked up front. But their one possible weakness appears to be on the left side, and wouldn't you know it, that's the side Vesey plays.
Besides Artemi Panarin - who will remain with Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov - the club boasts the likes of Richard Panik and Andrew Desjardins on the left wing. Neither possess the offensive skill that Vesey does. It's possible the Blackhawks could sell Vesey on a top-six role, playing alongside Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
The two veterans would be great mentors for the up-and-coming prospect, and Vesey will be hard pressed to find more skilled linemates if he's to venture elsewhere.
With the Blackhawks, Vesey would join a team built to win, with a solid core, great coaching, and get the top-six role he seeks. The Blackhawks are the complete package.
New Jersey Devils
Cory Wilkins: Vesey's headed to beautiful Newark, New Jersey.
While the rebuilding Devils are not a Stanley Cup contender like other interested suitors in the Blackhawks or New York Rangers, New Jersey general mangaer Ray Shero can offer Vesey the biggest individual opportunity.
The Devils finished dead last in goals last season, scoring just 184 times, and there's an obvious need for more offense beyond the offseason addition of Taylor Hall. In New Jersey, Vesey can immediately slot into the Devils' top-six forwards, surrounded by the likes of Hall, Adam Henrique, and Kyle Palmieri.
Beyond that, according to his agent, Vesey prefers to fly under the radar, and that's not a viable option in his hometown of Boston or in the hockey bubble of Toronto. The New York-New Jersey area offers nine pro sports teams, and the Devils may have the smallest microscope among them. It could be the perfect situation for Vesey to kickstart his NHL career.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Navin Vaswani: Jimmy's heading north.
Vesey is the next part of the "Shanaplan," and he will join his brother Nolan and father Jim in the Toronto organization.
Family first.
While Toronto isn't the most logical destination for a player wanting to fly a bit under the radar, he'll be sheltered by general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Mike Babcock. And, let's face it, the spotlight in Toronto next season will firmly be on Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. They're the three most recent top-10 draft picks - Matthews is the first No. 1 selection in club history since Wendel Clark in 1985 - and the undisputed future of the club.
Morgan Rielly and Nazem Kadri are going to be out to prove their long-term, big-money contract extensions were the right decision, and Frederik Andersen is starting life in Toronto, where goaltenders go to die. Let's be honest: If Vesey didn't want the attention, he'd have signed with the Nashville Predators or Buffalo Sabres, the two teams to previously own his NHL rights.
The Maple Leafs are a rebuilding team clearly on the rise, and Vesey can be offered a top-six role, much like in Chicago and New Jersey. At 23, he'll practically be a veteran on the team, especially after Brooks Laich, Milan Michalek, and Colin Greening - all playing on expiring contracts - are traded for draft picks. With Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, and James van Riemsdyk's contracts set to expire in July 2018, Vesey can be as much a part of the solution as Matthews, Nylander, or Marner.
Vesey played hockey at Harvard. He's about to graduate to the Maple Leafs. Makes sense.