Undervalued UFA Options For The Ottawa Senators This Off-season
Another highly touted player that hasn’t quite lived up to expectation. Jimmy Vesey was the talk of the town in the 2016 off-season. It felt like every team wanted a chance to sign the college superstar from Harvard. The New York Rangers eventually won out, but his stint in the big apple was short-lived. After a season with the Buffalo Sabres, Vesey seems like he’ll never reach the high expectations set that summer, posting just 9 goals and 11 assists in 64 games.
The Sabres look set to allow Jimmy Vesey to walk to the UFA market, but there could be some value here. Vesey is an effective NHLer in the offensive zone. His teams consistently generate and suppress offence at an impressive rate with him on the ice. Only three Sabres forwards were on the ice for more than his 664 chances (shots on goal + blocked shots + missed shots) last season.
Offensively, we’ve likely not yet seen the best of Vesey at the NHL level. This is a player who scored 16, 17 and 16 goals in his first three seasons respectively, before his step back this season. That’s very respectable for a player operating on third line minutes. With some increased chances, the Senators could try and unlock the potential he once showed.
Like Galchenyuk, Vesey struggles a bit in his own zone, but not to the point where he couldn’t be corrected in a strong system, or with better linemates. He’s played on teams with pretty terrible defensive numbers in the past (New York Rangers & Buffalo Sabres), so coming to a Senators team on the rise might be a good fit for all parties.
Vesey made $2.275m last season. After an underwhelming campaign, he should come in under that price. That’s reasonable value for another younger player that would be able to move up and down the lineup, and take some pressure off of the rookies.
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