From Bright Minds to Bright Lights

Since he announced that he would not sign with the Nashville Predators, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2012, Jimmy Vesey was seen as both a hot commodity and public enemy number one, depending on what team you were rooting for at that point. His rights were traded to Buffalo prior to the NHL Draft, but his intention to test the free agency market was not to be denied. A few days after becoming a free agent, he has decided on a team that he will play for, and it's a team that needs younger talent.

The New York Rangers swooped in and were able to sign Vesey to a two-year deal. The move is great for the Rangers, who have been notorious for sacrificing their future for the now, often to little success. This past June, the Rangers didn't make their first pick until the third round, when they took former OHL Exceptional Status player and enigma Sean Day. Looking at the Rangers' prospect pool, their top player there is Pavel Buchnevich, who is expected to come across the pond from the KHL after being signed to an entry-level deal. While things aren't nearly as bleak, there could be more to be done, particularly since the Rangers are all-in to try and get Henrik Lundqvist a Stanley Cup as he turns 35 during the season and the window is closing. The good news? The want to get younger has manifested itself in guys like Kevin Hayes, Vesey, and the newly acquired Mika Zibanejad, all of whom are 25 and under. The bad news? Potential is all it is still, as the Rangers continue to rely on Lundqvist to steal games for them and there just isn't enough proven scorers not named Rick Nash. Certainly, the Eric Staal trade was not what the Rangers were hoping for, and now, they have to figure out Lundqvist's successor, as he can't play forever, and a Cory Schneider clone isn't going to fall from the sky the way it did for New Jersey in 2013.

As for Vesey, he has a lot to live up to, given the drama surrounding his decision to spurn Nashville and sign with a Rangers team that could be a mess in a few years as opposed to Stanley Cup contenders like Chicago or even teams on the rise like  Buffalo and Toronto. Recent Hobey Baker history suggests Vesey will succeed, as he follows both Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau to the NHL. However, there is a 12 year gap as far as successful NHLers, as the last one to have a lengthy career was Jordan Leopold. The pressure will be on Vesey to perform, but given that the lights will still be on Lundqvist and Nash, it is possible that Vesey could one day make Broadway his own.