Vesey set to take patient approach as National Hockey League free agent

Leafs 2014 draft choice Nolan Vesey said about his older brother last month.

The Sabres were the only team allowed to negotiate with Vesey through August 15, but the Harvard forward’s plan from the outset has been to test free agency.

The Islanders have interest in soon-to-be free agent Jimmy Vesey, but it’s not clear whether Vesey will entertain an offer from Garth Snow.

But the news has picked up again, with some reporting that although Toronto originally appeared to be the front-runner destination for the recent Hobey Baker victor, three new favorites have emerged – the New York Rangers, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the New Jersey Devils.

Now if you believe the latest buzz this weekend as the decision approaches, the favorites look very different.

With the summer in full swing, there haven’t been too many New York Rangers rumors in recent weeks. The Devils are still in a rebuilding year where they could definitely give him big minutes right away, not to mention he would fit the fast and attacking style that John Hynes is using AND help on the power play. As teams begin the talk to the Vesey camp legally, more information will likely leak out.Vesey has said all along he wants to talk to teams on his list to see what his role would be. There’s obviously a lot of thought that goes into it: “The city, the coach, the GM, the salary structure, how a team treats their players in the second and third contracts down the road”.

Vesey is an intriguing player for the National Hockey League, with so many teams now counting down the hours before they can pick up the phone and speak to the young American. If the Flyers are a serious candidate for Vesey, Hextall is doing it on stealth mode. They won’t have to overpay Vesey to get him to come to New Jersey. This team could be a contender in short order.

Lamoriello oversaw three Stanley Cup victories with the New Jersey Devils (1995, 2000 and 2003), working with legendary players such as Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer. Alternatively, the appeal of the New York Rangers mystifies me as their Stanley Cup window has closed and their system is devoid of picks and prospects because of trades the last few seasons.

24 hours from now, Leafs fans could know if Vesey agrees with them that Toronto is the best place to take his talents.

It seems like a century ago that the hockey world found out the Harvard University graduate meant to test the open market when he becomes eligible, but what followed was an immensely tiresome summer – save for that now famous late-June day that saw the likes of Taylor Hall, P.K. Subban and Shea Weber traded as well as Steven Stamkos re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning.