Follow @james_tanner123 I don't really care where Jimmy Vesey ends up. I hope it's Arizona or Toronto, since he appears to be a pretty good prospect, but the amount of consternation surrounding his decision is ridiculous.
Not as ridiculous as people feeling sorry for the team that drafted him, but still ridiculous just the same.
First, the Nashville Predators: Are you kidding me? The whining coming from David Poile et. al is ridiculous. They seem upset that the Veseys gave their word they'd be willing to sign and then didn't. Now, I just want to be clear about something: When an NHL team does something shady or disloyal, but well within the rules, it's OK cause it's JUST A BUSINESS.
But, when a player does something personally beneficial, we are supposed to demonize him for a lack of honour? We are supposed to feel bad for the poor little half-a-billion dollar corporation that had a chance to own his rights but didn't get it done?
Second, the NHL Draft: Yes, the rules are the rules and everyone must abide by them. However, there isn't a single person informed about the CBA who would disagree with the idea that the NHLPA bargains away the rights of younger players in favor of more money for established players. It's not for me to say if that's right or not, but it is what happens.
So, what that means is that the draft is a bit of a joke from the young players perspective. For instance, you dedicate your life to becoming one of the best of the best of the best in the world at what you do. To get drafted, even in the 7th round, means you're better at your chosen skill than nearly every person in the world. The average person can only imagine what it's like to be among the literal best at what they do.
Then, even if you're drafted, you have an extremely low chance of making it to the NHL and playing enough games to make enough money to make the risk and sacrifices of trying to become a pro-athlete worth it.
So in exchange for being among the best in the entire world, what they give you is a situation where you can sell your skills to the highest bidder after seven years. That is IF you are good enough, and then even if you are you need the luck to get an opportunity and to stay healthy.
Realistically, you could be picked first overall, sign your league-mandated contract and then have bad luck and never qualify for that second and third contract that will reward you for being among the best in the world at what you do. So even though you were among the best of the best of the best at a skill that eventually pays people tens of millions of dollars, you could blow out your knee and end up working at Walmart.
But say you're picked in the third round? The maximum amount of money a player drafted can make is 950K/year for three years. That's if they make the NHL. But the minimum is almost half that.
Yes, that's a ton of money for normal people, but for someone with an exceedingly rare skill who's among the best in the world, it's not much compared to what he's realistically worth.
In the case of Vesey, he is a third round pick who has used the time since his draft to turn himself into the equivalent of a first round pick and he deserves and likely will get close to the maximum allowed. However, he had to take a massive risk by not signing a contract immediately and so now that he's made it to time where he can pick his team, why would he give that up?
Why should he?
Do NHL teams ever hesitate to send a player back with 9 games played so they can bilk the player out of an extra year of earning power?
Does anyone bat an eye when they do this?
I get that the rules are the rules, but they're still a sham and they completely screw young players. Plus, if a player attempts to better his situation, he is villainized by an NHL media and fanbase that is weirdly pro-owner.
Look at Drouin. We don't have all the information and we don't know exactly why he did what he did, but that doesn't stop people from making him the bad guy, and it's the same with Vesey.
Personally, I think we should applaud any player who attempts to take on the system and do what's right for them and their career.
Here are the facts: Jimmy Vesey did nothing wrong. The NHL exploits young players and the draft is a form of indentured servitude. Don't think so? When Crosby was making roughly 800K and won a Hart Trophy and made the NHL a billion dollars, do you think anyone was like "Hey that kid's underpaid, we should cut him into the massive profits he's making for us."???
NO. They said "he'll get his when he signs his next contract." But what if he got hurt? Don't get me wrong, I understand the logistics of give and take contract negotiations and I realize the players signed off on this.
But since it is clearly unfair, maybe we shouldn't put down every kid who tries to game the system for his own benefit.
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Just a thought on Duncan Keith: That was one of the most vicious things I've ever seen in hockey and it did not look accidental to me. How vicious? Well it's not McSorley, Bertuzzi or Hunter on Turgeon bad, but it's close.
The NHL should suspend him into next season, I would think. But knowing their respect for player safety, he will probably only get the remaining games left in the season and be allowed back for the Playoffs.
Thanks for reading.