Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey is set to hit the open market, Wisniewski eyes a comeback, and more in Thursday’s roundup of NHL news.
Vesey narrows list to ‘4-5 teams other than Buffalo’
Barring a last minute change of course, Jimmy Vesey will head to free agency on Monday, August 15.
The Harvard graduate’s rights are currently owned by the Sabres, who acquired them via trade from the Nashville Predators. Vesey’s agent Peter Fish told reporters Wednesday they are set to hit the market with their sights on approximately six teams.
“What Jimmy wants to do is see it through,” said Fish. “He’s wanted to go to free agency and he’s going to see it through. There’s about 4-5 teams other than Buffalo that he wants to hear from. And then after that he’s going to make a decision. I think he’d love for the Bruins to be one of those teams. I assume that we will be taking a call from them.
“We’ve looked at depth charts with some teams and talked about them. . . . “There’s obviously a lot of thought that goes into it: The city, the coach, the GM, the salary structure, how a team treats their players in the second and third contracts down the road.”
Vesey totalled 24 goals and 46 points in 33 games with Harvard in 2015-16 en route to capturing the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top player.
Wisniewski signs PTO with Lightning
Defenceman James Wisniewski run with the Carolina Hurricanes lasted all of 47 seconds before he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The Hurricanes bought out the final year of Wisniewski’s six-year, $33-million contract ahead of free agency. The 32-year-old is eyeing a return to the ice and has signed a professional tryout with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wisniewski scored eight goals and totalled 34 points in 69 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks in 2014-15. He’s certainly worth a look.
Parise says he’ll be ready for World Cup
A back injury cut Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise‘s season short and forced him to miss all of the club’s six first-round playoff games versus the Dallas Stars.
Parise, who is currently rehabbing the injury, says he’ll be ready to represent Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey in September.
Via Tom Gulitti at NHL.com:
“Not in my mind,” Parise said, “unless the doctors say something right before we leave with my physical. But I feel like I’ll be fine to play.
“I’m getting there. I feel much better skating now than I did a month ago. Everything is going well. Training is going well, skating is going well, so, hopefully, it will continue and everything will be all back to normal before we leave for Toronto.”
