NHL Free Agency News, Rumors: Prospect Jimmy Vesey Opts to Test Free Agency
The Nashville Predators didn't hide their interest in signing Harvard University hockey star Jimmy Vesey; and as his playing days in college officially ended on Friday, all he had to do was sign with the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately for the Preds, the desire to play in Nashville isn't a priority for the left winger, as he already informed the team of his intention to test his value in free agency.
While this looks like a very awkward scenario, Vesey actually has the right to opt for free agency, thanks to a specific clause in the collective bargaining agreement covering college hockey prospects like him. The rule says that a team is given four years to sign a prospect they drafted, provided the player is to remain as a college student. In the case of Vesey, he does not have a choice but to wait until the month of August in order to sign with teams in the NHL.
Clearly, the Predators are the big losers in this one. They used a valuable draft pick on a player who apparently is looking for either a different team or simply wants to figure out how much he's worth. For general manager David Poile, everything just doesn't make sense as of the moment. The team is the only one in the entire league that has the authority to offer him the opportunity to erase the first year of a rookie's entry-level contract.
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However, it now has become more obvious that Vesey does not really intend to prioritize playing for them.
But as any persistent team will do, the Predators, according to Poile, aren't giving up on him just yet. They can also wait until August to be able to sign Vesey. They just hope he'll eventually realize that there is nothing more practical of a contract for him out there other than what the Predators are offering.
