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Sabres Clubhouse Leaders In Vesey Scramble |
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The Buffalo Sabres are the high water mark for Jimmy Vesey.
That is why they traded for the former Harvard star's first position negotiating rights.
Sure, it would have been nice to pitch and close Vesey in July rather than wait seven weeks until mid-August. However, Buffalo knew the rules of engagement going into the trade. Vesey and his agent have said from the very beginning of this long and winding road that they would prefer to wait until August 15 to hear the intentions of teams other than the Sabres to get a better read on the market.
Fair enough.
Vesey has already inspected Buffalo's "home" and he likes what he sees. He also has taken the Sabres fir a test drive and he is impressed with the way that they handle.
Would you buy a house without having a home inspection? Would you buy a car without taking it for a test drive?
Tim Murray, Dan Bylsma and Jerry Forton have seen to it that Buffalo is the yard stick by which all NHL teams who want to sign Jimmy Vesey will be graded and judged moving forward. The Sabres met with Team Vesey last month. They laid all of their cards on the table in that meeting.
The ultra competitive Murray clings to Vesey's exclusive negotiating rights like a lottery winner death grips his lotto card. Murray traded a third rounder to Nashville two months ago to keep other NHL suitors away from Vesey until Monday August 15. That is when Vesey turns UFA.
Murray lost out on Steven Stamkos in June. Murray was prepared to sign the then pending UFA Stamkos to an seven year, $77 million contract. In the end, Stamkos got cold feet a stayed in Tampa for $8.5 million per season. His loss.
Still in need of scoring, Murray immediately shifted his focus to signing Kyle Okposo, the best UFA on the open market. Murray closed Booker on a seven year, $42 million contract.
Murray wants more more offense. You can never have enough scoring.
Murray wants badly to add another top six forward to his roster. He has trained his laser pointer on the forehead of Jimmy Vesey
Vesey's agent told Josh Cooper that Vesey has always been intrigued by the Sabres, no doubt because of the bond and friendship that he shares with fellow Hobey Baker winner Jack Eichel.
“I think there’s a lot of things out there that either aren’t true or people are just searching to say things. We’re still talking with Buffalo, who will be part of this process once free agency happens, if it happens, which I assume is going to happen,” Vesey’s agent Peter Fish told Puck Daddy.
“Jimmy wanted to go to free agency all along. He wanted to see it through and, so Buffalo has always been a team that has interested him, but he wants to compare with a few other teams once it happens on the 15th.”
The Sabres acquired Vesey’s rights from the Nashville Predators in June.Murray, Bylsma and Forton met with Vesey and Fish in Boston last month. Forton, Buffalo's college scouting boss, recruited Vesey to play at Harvard when he was an assistant coach for the Crimson five years ago.
After the lengthy meeting, both camps characterized the pow wows bee very positive and very productive. The two sides have remained in close contact during Vesey's waiting period.
When the clock strikes midnight on Monday, there will be four or five teams who will want to pitch Vesey in the merits of their respective clubs.
The suitors will be measured with and scrutinized by the high standard that Tim Murray set early on in the Vesey Scramble tourney.
Money is not the object. All teams will have to pay Vesey his $4.8 million total. That equates to $925K rookie max contract plus Schedule A bonuses, or, $2.4 million times two.
The Vesey Scramble is all about the intangibles.
Vesey already knows what role he will play in Buffalo alongside Eichel. He already knows that he and Eichel can buy a beautiful piece of real estate and live together in Buffalo in a very desirable neighborhood for pennies on the dollars compared to major metros. He already knows that he will be playing top six minutes in all situations, including power play. He knows Bylsma's coaching style to play fast and physical. He knows that once his two year ELC expires that Murray will have the cap space to sign him to a long term, lucrative contract extension. He knows Buffalo has a treasure trove of young, high end talent and skilled vets on its roster. He knows that Tim Murray drafted his great friend and fellow home town boy Casey Fitzgerald (BC) with the 86th overall pick in the June NHL Draft. He knows and trusts Forton. Vesey also knows that Buffalo is a five hour drive to his parents' home in North Reading, Mass. Hell, Murray can even disptach the Pegula private jet to transport Jimmy and Jack's folks to Sabres games.
Right now, has no clue what role he would be cast into in Chicago, Manhattan, Newark or Beantown. All he knows is that he has some New England bros playing for those teams in those cities.
On Monday, Vesey will activate his Harvard market analysis skills.
Upon further review, Vesey will know a contender from a pretender.
Let the games begin.
“Jimmy’s, he really is an interesting kid. He has been very quiet about it. He hasn’t talked much about it,” Fish said. “He and I and my other colleague Pete Donatelli, we talk to him maybe every week or so and kind of bounce things off. We’ve had some good discussions with the Sabres, but it’s not something that’s talked about every day. I think Jimmy just can’t wait to see all the options, hear everybody out and make his decision and then move on.”
I'm told that there are no formal one on one meetings planned with the prom-posal candidates.
Teams that want to present to Vesey free to phone his agent and talk on Monday. It's not going to be another Brad Richards dog and pony show where teams drive tithe agent's offices and beg for a 15 minute face to face to pitch their best offer. Teams will certainly knock on the door and ask for a face to face. Hawks GM Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Queenneville stalked Vesey at the Foxboro muni rink in person last month. It would not surprise me if the Hawks MacGyver their way through the air conditioning ducts to gain entrance into the agent's office.
Vesey will be judging all comers using the standards and template already presented by Eichel,Murray and the Sabres.
Murray and the Sabres are the clubhouse leaders in the Vesey Scramble.
Which team will meet or beat Tim Murray's aggressive proposal?
Katie Ledecky's uncle used to work for the Washington Capitals. However, he is the new owner of the Brooklyn Islanders.
Can the Olympic gold medalist convince Jimmy Vesey to sign with her uncle's new team?
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