The Jimmy Vesey Saga continues with the Buffalo Sabres brass heading to Boston to meet with one of the most polarizing names in hockey not yet in the NHL. On June 20th, the Nashville Predators cut ties with their former 3rd round draft pick by trading him to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick in 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
The Predators were already informed that Vesey would be waiting until August 15 to make his decision on where he would be starting his NHL career, but the Sabres saw an opportunity to trade away one of their bevy of assets to buy some extra time to speak to Vesey and his camp.
Related: Sabres Acquire Vesey’s Rights
With Buffalo’s management team heading out to Boston to meet with Vesey, they will likely be working on convincing the former-college star that his talents would best be utilized in a Sabres’ uniform, potentially alongside his friend, and current Sabres’ forward Jack Eichel. Playing alongside a player with the ability of Eichel would be hard for anybody to turn down, but Vesey has remained consistent with his apparent intentions all off-season.
On Wednesday, Vesey told Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com “I think we have a small number of teams that I think we’ll really be focusing on.” While Buffalo is likely on that list, he went on to say, “So, August 15 we’ll start talking to them and see what they say.”
The Vesey Sweepstakes likely won’t end before August 15, but it’s still worth trying for the Sabres given the talent that the 23-year-old possesses. With 56 goals and 48 assists for 104 points in 70 games over the last two seasons at Harvard, Vesey has shown that he could provide an immediate impact for whichever team he signs with.
