St. Louis Blues: Could The Blues Face Jimmy Vesey Several Times A Season?
As rumors swirl about the St. Louis Blues own players, a new one has popped up from up north. The Chicago Blackhawks are apparently in the running for prospect Jimmy Vesey.
As if the St. Louis Blues didn’t have enough problems of their own, why must we be forced to worry about a potential signing with Chicago? St. Louis should be focusing on the players they have on their roster and maybe, just maybe, being able to improve themselves via a trade that would send Kevin Shattenkirk packing and bring in another forward.
However, instead, there have come rumblings out of the “Second City”. Blackhawks General Manager, Stan Bowman, has apparently been spending some time out in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It’s unlikely that he’s out there taking in OTA’s for the New England Patriots or watching the New England Revolution play, so it can be assumed he is tossing the Blackhawks’ cap into the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes.
For those new to the situation, Vesey is one of the big name prospects in the country that hasn’t signed a contract with anyone already. He was selected in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, meaning they selected him straight out of Tier III Junior A hockey in the US, which is almost unheard of.
Vesey went on to play all four years at Harvard University. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in all collegiate hockey in 2016. He was immediately offered a pro contract and a spot on the Predators’ postseason roster, which he turned down in order to become a free agent.
A little known, or at least little utilized, CBA rule allows players to become a free agent if they have not signed an entry-level deal within four years of being drafted. Vesey has exercised that right and will become a free agent on August 15.
Most of the talk has involved him staying in or around his home in Boston. The Buffalo Sabres traded for his rights during the 2016 NHL draft, but have yet been able to entice him to put pen to paper. The other mainstays that seem to have made his list are Boston and Toronto, as well as any of the teams that may show interest in the northeastern corridor.
However, almost every team has thought they had a chance for at least one round of rumors. Even the St. Louis Blues were briefly mentioned as a dark horse candidate. The Blues would have a familial connection. They drafted his father in the 1984 NHL Draft and he played 11 total games with the Blues.
The Blues should be interested in this kid. He’s scored more than a point per game the last two seasons at Harvard and had 32 goals in 37 game in 2014-15. Then again, everyone seems interested in him.
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So, enter the enemy. The Blackhawks are joining the list of teams trying to vie for his attention. While it’s smart on their part, it’s just tiresome for those of us on this side of the river.
The Blackhawks already have three Stanley Cups and Blues fans have had to hear it from everyone wearing red. Despite the Blackhawks putting themselves into salary cap hell for almost every season since they won their first in 2010, they manage to keep themselves toward the top of the league by finding new, inexpensive, young players that will contribute. Vesey would be another one of those.
If Chicago could add Vesey, they’d have the perfect scenario. They’d get a quality young player, capable of putting up points for two or three years at an entry-level price. That’s exactly what they need.
The Blackhawks have little in the way of salary cap room, but they would welcome an entry-level contract onto their NHL squad in a heartbeat. Especially one capable of doing the things people believe Vesey can.
It would be another example of the embarrassment of riches that come through the Blackhawks’ pipeline or are picked up by their scouting department. It seems like every year when you think they’ve had to sell off too much, they find another group to come in and fill the void.
Who knew that Andrew Shaw would be more than just a fourth line aggitator? Who would have thought Artem Anisimov would be a 20/20 guy? The Blues were told by Vladimir Tarasenko about Artemi Panarin and passed, then saw what he could do to them instead of for them. Teuvo Teravainen came out of nowhere as well and was still expendable when the Blackhawks needed to shed dead contract weight from other players.
It’s been a maddening cycle that shows how organized their front office has been. The Blues have some quality players coming through their own ranks now, but are clearly farther behind in the race. Having Vesey sign in Chicago would be a punch to the gut.
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It would have been bad enough to see him in Nashville yellow, but they drafted him and invested in him. You almost feel bad for how they were treated in all of it.
For both them and the Blues to have to see this kid several times a year would be an injustice. Sports aren’t good examples of justice though, so since it’s in the rights of the player to go where he wants, it would not shock me if the Blackhawks found a way to lure him in.