The #veseywatch ended and with it came - as expected - commentary across the industry. Rangers' fans were ecstatic while those who missed out on him, at least for the most part, took to Twitter to pan the signing and/or criticize the player. That's fine. Of course, it remains to be seen what Vesey will be. Will he continue the history of Hobey Baker who have struggled or be one of the few that had success in the NHL?
Regardless of what he becomes, the signing still made sense. New York needed a top-six/nine forward at a reasonable price, due to their cap situation. Vesey clearly fit the bill. Jeff Gorton's comments in the press conference Friday night clearly spelled out the need and how signing Vesey helps fill that need.
“This was an opportunity, a real good player that becomes available, and we’re all trying to add that piece. It’s pretty well-documented. We haven’t had any first-round picks. We’ve gone four years without them. We’ve traded some second-round picks. So we’re trying to replace some of that depth that we’ve had in the past with some of the prospects. So any time a guy like this becomes available we’re going to do our best to try to get in the race and we were able to do that. But as far as him and Pavel (Buchnevich) that’s what we’re all trying to do. We’re trying to get as many young players as we can. The game is getting faster and younger and more skilled all the time and we’re certainly in tune with that and understand that. I think it’s a very exciting day for us to get a player like this, and Pavel is a very good player in his own right and we’re looking forward to seeing him in training camp and see how he makes his jump.”
You can argue that Vesey's comment - "“I think for me, the thing that jumped out at me was that they seemed to really want me," made little sense, because I am sure all the teams that met with him really wanted him. The part about New York being a good fit makes sense, because the team clearly has a need, as spelled out above. In addition, his relationship with Kevin Hayes and to a slightly lesser extent, Chris Kreider, plus the presence of Chris Drury, all should aid in his acclimation to the NHL and the Rangers. Now, the pressure really shifts to him, as it did Hayes two years ago, to warrant the deal. Though it likely will be impossible for him to meet the hype.
Vesey did nothing wrong per the CBA. Baseball has a similar rule with some differences. If a player is drafted out of high school and doesn't sign, he has to wait until after his junior year to be drafted again. If drafted then and unsigned, I believe he can be drafted as a senior but all of baseball can try and sign him. Now, if drafted high out of high school and the player doesn't sign, the risk is that his skills diminish in college, resulting in him going undrafted or getting sledged later in the draft, costing him money. Baseball is littered with stories about high draft picks, who failed to sign, then regressed or suffered an injury, especially pitchers, costing themselves millions of dollars. Vesey took a shot believing in himself and in this case, landed somewhere he wanted to be. It wasn't a money issue, since as we know, all the teams pursuing him in essence could offer the same thing. In this case, Vesey used the CBA to his benefit. Down the road, this loophole likely will be changed, for now though, the Rangers ended up the beneficiary.
Now onto the commentary. As some of you saw, I got into a Twitter war with Mike Harrington over the column he wrote for the Buffalo News. (https://t.co/t2FY1QOSZu). In it, he accused several teams of tampering. It's possible the Rangers weren't directly accused, though the implication, based on the referencing he used and lumping them in with other teams, was that they either explicitly or implicitly tampered with Vesey. Mike's column was just one of many comments from those who root or report on the other teams that missed out on Vesey.
If you are Nashville, I can well understand the annoyance and frustration with seeing a player you drafted and were willing to burn an ELC year last year for the stretch run going elsewhere. Vesey's decision not to play there in essence forced the Predators to deal him to recoup an asset. Similar can be said to an extent about Buffalo, who surrendered one of their many third round picks to obtain a two month negotiating window to try and sign Vesey before he became an unrestricted free agent. But to accuse teams of tampering with little proof is slanderous.
I am not naive nor would I be surprised of tampering did occur, especially with how Vesey's agents remarked how their client would be a fit in other places. But, nothing precluded players from the other teams who are friends with Vesey to try and sway his decision. Part of why Buffalo obtained his rights was the presence of Jack Eichel, whose relationship with Vesey was believed to be the push needed to convince him to sign in Buffalo. The optics of Chicago watching Vesey play clearly can lead one to think tampering occurred. However, the relationship of Hayes and Kreider and their contact with Vesey doesn't mean tampering occurred.
In addition, to demean the Rangers in a column clearly smacks of sour grapes. As noted above, New York clearly did have a need that Vesey fills. In addition, to refer to the Blueshirts as a team in decline might be accurate to an extent - though I think most of like what GM Jeff Gorton has done this offseason, while also noting the D still needs an uplift - but worry about your team and we will do the same as ours. Plus, the window isn't shut in NY, and while I think Buffalo is building something, let us know when yours opens again.
The next blog will focus on the line combinations and what now with Vesey signed.
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