Well, this Jimmy Vesey decision turned out well for everybody, didn’t it?
It seems like a long time ago when Vesey decided this summer to become a free agent and sign with the Rangers. If you remember, Vesey was originally drafted in the third round (No. 66 overall) in 2012 by the Predators. But by staying for all four years at Harvard and never signing that entry-level deal, he could become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15 — which is just what he did.
Vesey said he made it clear to the Nashville brass that he wasn’t signing there — which was initially a big surprise to general manager David Poile — but they eventually traded his rights to the Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick. Ten days later, on June 30, Poile traded his star defenseman and captain, Shea Weber, to the Canadiens in exchange for another star defenseman, P.K. Subban.
The fun-loving Subban now has his Predators in the Western Conference final for the first time in the organization’s history. And Vesey, after leaving the Sabres in the lurch — which they pretty well expected — had a promising first regular season on Broadway. He now is with his Rangers as they face elimination in the second round, with a must-win Game 6 against the Senators at the Garden on Tuesday night.
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Vesey is going to be 24 years old on May 26, and for all the hoopla that surrounded his ballyhooed decision, he has generally delivered exactly what the Rangers were hoping. While playing a steady two-way game, Vesey put up 16 goals and 27 points in 80 regular-season games. Maybe a little bit a surprise was the snarl he can play with, which has only increased once the playoffs started.
There is no backdown in Vesey — just ask Steve Ott and the Canadiens, whom he helped vanquish in the first round with a sneer on his face the whole time. And there is hardly any lack of confidence in the former Crimson captain.
“I felt good all playoffs,” Vesey told The Post after Monday’s practice. “I still just think I have so much room to grow. I think I’ve said this a bunch, but my confidence still has a ways to go in terms of wanting to make plays out there. I thought [Game 5] against Ottawa I had one of my best games of the playoffs. I was skating and making good decisions, holding on to it when I had to.”
That would also be the Game 5 when Vesey finally broke through and scored his first postseason goal. It was a game when he was on the puck all night while his linemates Derek Stepan and Rick Nash struggled to create any offense. The Rangers were tied, 3-3, going into the third period, and 12:48 in, he dove in the crease and was able to jam one over the goal line to give his team a 4-3 lead.
It would eventually be wiped out by a 6-on-5 goal from Derick Brassard with 1:26 remaining in regulation, and the whole game would be soured by Kyle Turris’ game-winner in overtime, which put the Rangers on the brink of elimination. But it was still a big moment for Vesey in what has been an impressive postseason run.
“His [Game 5] was much better than his game before,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “Again, they’re learning in the best of times right now, these young guys. Pressure is there, there’s a lot at stake, they’re getting quality minutes. It’s only going to improve them as a player, but it’s also going to improve our team as these young guys are getting better.”
Vesey’s entry-level deal goes through next season, when he’ll have a better idea of how to handle the grind of the NHL schedule. But if his first go of it was any indication of what’s to come, then the Rangers will be pretty happy with the decision he made — while the Predators are doing just fine for themselves without him.
“The regular season was long, but there were ups and downs,” Vesey said. “Right now in the playoffs, I think you have to bring your best effort every night, and I’ve just been trying to do that. From holding on to the puck and making the right decisions, I think it’s just giving me more and more confidence as we’ve gone on.”