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Murray Breaks The Ice With Vesey |
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Jimmy Vesey's agent, Peter Fish, issued a statement to WGR Buffalo in which he called Thursday's meeting with the Buffalo Sabres "informative" .
"I felt the first meeting with the Sabres went quite well and was certainly informative. Jimmy was very comfortable with Tim Murray and coach Bylsma"
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The Buffalo Sabres have made their face to face pitch to Harvard star winger and NHL UFA Jimmy Vesey.
According to the Providence Journal, Sabres GM Tim Murray, Sabres Head Coach Dan Bylsma & Jerry Forton of the Buffalo Sabres met with Jimmy Vesey and his agent Peter Fish for 2-plus hours in Boston on Thursday.
According to reports, Terry Pegula's private jet landed in Buffalo at 5pm EDT on Thursday.
Hours before, Murray, Bylsma and Forton flew out of Buffalo at 11am EDT.
Who is Jerry Forton?
Forton, was an assistant coach on Ted Nolan's Buffalo coaching staff in 2013-14, and is now Buffalo's NCAA scout.
Prior to joining Nolan's coaching staff, Forton served as assistant coach for Vesey's Harvard Crimson. Forton was a Harvard coach for Vesey's freshman season in 2012-13.
Smart play by Murray to bring a familiar face and hockey voice to the table to help break the ice.
I like the inclusion of Forton in Vesey meeting. Trust between player, former coach who recruited him to Harvard. Bylsma needs another assistant coach, right? Forton was an assistant of Ted Nolan. Vesey trusts Forton. Why not hire Forton, Dan?
Can the Bruins and Leafs boast of having a coaching on staff who recruited Vesey to Harvard then coaches him in his freshman season for the Crimson?
Murray, Bylsma , and Forton presented their best case for why he belongs in a Sabres Blue & Gold sweater effective immediately.
Vesey was drafted by the Nashville Predators at the 2012 NHL Draft. He was selected in the third round, however, he decided to skate away from Nashville after his senior season at Harvard. The Preds were holding a roster spot for Vesey to play in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs for them, however, in April he informed their GM David Poile that he had changed his mind and would be pursuing the free agent market this summer.
"I think we have a small number of teams that I think we'll really be focusing on," Vesey said. "So, August 15 we'll start talking to them and see what they say."
The Buffalo Sabres are in the pole position for Vesey. They have the exclusive ability to communicate with the player until August 15. There's the looming Jack Eichel factor. Also, Sabres GM Tim Murray drafted Vesey's friend Casey Fitzgerald out of Boston College at the NHL Draft in Buffalo. Vesey and Fitzgerald are close friends and both call North Reading, Mass. their hometown. Let's not overlook the Terry Pegula factor in recruiting Vesey either. The billionaire owner is a persuasive business man who has built his fortunes on simple family values and dogged determination.
Vesey's Buffalo Sabres two year entry level contract will be augmented by bonuses and incentives that could earn him an additional $2 million per season in compensation.
The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have also thrown their hats into the ring for Vesey.
Vesey is worth every bit of the hype. He is the 2016 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He stands 6'3" and 210 pounds, plays a competitive/physical style and can finish from all areas on the ice. He possesses NHL speed and an NHL caliber shot. Vesey scored 24 goals and 22 assists in 2015-16 and compiled 80 goals and 64 assists for 144 points in 128 career games with Harvard.
With Steven Stamkos, Kyle Okposo and the A-List NHL UFAs signed, sealed and delivered to new NHL contracts, Vesey is the headliner for the next wave of NHL free agents.
"Free agency's done and I think most of the bigger names are off the board," Vesey told NHL.com.
"Now you've got to start sifting through teams and rosters and prospect pools and stuff like that. So I think I'm starting to get more and more excited as the days go on because I'm really looking forward to finding out where I'm going to be."
North Chelmsford, Mass. native Jack Eichel has been suggestive selling playing in Buffalo to his close friend Jimmy Vesey. Eichel told NHL.com he loves playing with Vesey during summer hocker games. Jack want Jimmy to play alongside him in Buffalo.
"I just try to pass him the puck in this league, and maybe he'll think I'll do that during the season if he wants to come," Eichel said. "I don't know if I want to be called a recruiting tool. I think more than anything I just inform him about what Buffalo is like and what it would be like for him to come.
"I know, obviously, the Sabres want him a lot, and for a good reason."
Eichel would be a direct beneficiary of having Vesey riding shotgun for him in Buffalo. Eichel andcSamson Reinhart need a keft winget to round out their trio. Having known and played woyh one another for several years, Eichel and Vesey have undeniable non-verbal chemistry on the ice. Eichel said Wednesday he hopes that his friend strongly considers signing to play with his Buffalo Sabres. Vesey can see that having Eichel around could ease the transition, saying, "I think that there'd be a sense of comfort walking into a locker room with Jack there."
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