2024 Report Card: Jimmy Vesey

Expectations:

The expectation for Jimmy Vesey heading into this season was quite similar to the bar he set for himself based upon last season's performance. After parlaying his impressive reunion with the Rangers into a two-year contract extension, Vesey proved capable of becoming an important role player for a Stanley Cup contending team. This reunion was all the more impressive knowing it generated at a low point in Vesey’s career, when he didn’t land a contract over the summer and had to settle for a professional tryout with the Rangers prior to the 2022 preseason. 

Performance

Despite starting two of the first three games of the season as a healthy scratch, Jimmy Vesey had another very respectable season generally speaking. With his expectations set at being an effective bottom-six forward, Vesey was able to build off his 25 point season the year prior with an additional point this year. 13 goals and assists for a total of 26 points across 80 games played is without question a job well done. If you’re getting 25 points on average from a guy who is primarily a bottom six forward that spends most nights on the fourth line, you have yourself something most other teams would give up a pretty penny for. 

What Jimmy Vesey brings to the table on a nightly basis is much different than it was during his first tour of duty with the Rangers between 2017-2019. The former Hobey Baker winning, NCAA standout was brought to the Rangers in hopes of becoming a top-six forward that can contribute with a consistent goal scoring touch. Nevertheless, three seasons of falling short of the twenty goal mark and four different teams later, Vesey returned with a chip on his shoulder and more of an edge to his overall game. Which is exactly what the Rangers were looking for this time around. 

Vesey has since secured himself on this team as a good two-way player that can kill penalties, move up the line-up as needed as a well-established, veteran role player you can build an effective fourth line around. Over the last two seasons, that’s exactly what Vesey has become while still being good for occasional flashes of his younger self. One specific example that comes to mind was his first of two goals in a Rangers 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning back in February. Vesey pulled off an incredibly nifty cut to his backhand where he roofed the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy on a weird angle in one of his best games of the season. 

Not long after this, Vesey got the chance to move up in the line-up when Blake Wheeler went down with a serious injury in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Wheeler was playing on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad at the time and with Kakko still working his way back from his own injury, Vesey was next in line. This gave him a five game stretch on the top line which would have been a great opportunity for Vesey to rejuvenate his goal scoring touch or at the very least, help get Zibanejad and Kreider going. 

Unfortunately, he could not seem to click with his current and former teammates. To be fair, it isn’t his job to be a top line right winger but given his collegiate history, you hoped that under the circumstances, he would be able to step up even if it was only temporary. Nevertheless, he was held pointless during that stretch and eventually lost the job to Kaapo Kakko, who arguably should have been there in the first place. Through no fault of his own, his inability to help the top line out not only sparked the Rangers desire to once again address the positional shortcoming at the trade deadline, but was the start of the roughest part of his season.

The final quarter of the 82 game campaign would not be kind to Jimmy Vesey as he only registered one goal and six assists across the last 20 games of the season. The Rangers brought in Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic as forward reinforcements at the trade deadline which surely played a role in this. While Vesey can fill a role on the third or fourth line, he was more permanently locked in on that bottom line which undoubtedly played a part in him slowing down offensively.  

Truthfully, I did feel the coaching staff gave the veteran winger a little too much leeway towards the end of the season. Especially down the final stretch where they had the opportunity to give some guys nights off in order to rest up for the upcoming playoff run. Vesey was more or less becoming a nonfactor at this point and Laviolette went as far as to scratch Will Cuylle, who would have appeared in all 82 games otherwise, instead of Vesey. Perhaps it’s a bit overcritical given his role but it’s a good example of why his grade takes a bit of a hit compared to last season. 

However, all was forgiven in Game 1 of the postseason when Vesey helped get the party that was the Rangers sweep of the Capitals started as he had the primary assist on Matt Rempe’s goal to give them the 1-0 lead early in the second. On top of that, Vesey picked up a goal of his own to extend their lead to 3-0 in what ended up being a dominant 4-1 win to start the shortest series of the playoffs. 

Unfortunately, that would about do it for his postseason production as he only registered one more assist through his next 11 playoff games. To make matters worse, Vesey wouldn’t finish the playoff run on the ice as he went down with a brutal injury in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A hard hit from Ryan Lomberg left him in a great deal of pain and unable to return for the remainder of the postseason. It wasn’t until locker cleanout day when it was brought to light that he had separated his shoulder. 

All things considered, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives surrounding Jimmy Vesey’s game this season. His point totals for a fourth liner are quite effective and his skills on the penalty kill, as well as his overall versatility make him a useful part of this Rangers team. The Rangers were constant fixtures in the league’s top three rankings in terms of penalty killing and Vesey was a large part of that. More nights than not, he was out there giving 110% and battled through adversity as much as anyone. Amidst the season, he joined the list of a shockingly large number of Rangers players who had to wear a face shield at some point after taking a puck or a stick to the face, not missing a shift in the process.

Author Grade: B-

Banter Consensus: B-

Vesey will turn 32 next spring and enters the final year of his well-deserved, two-year contract extension signed within 72 hours of New Year's Day 2023. This coming season will prove to be critical in Jimmy Vesey ensuring there is still enough gas in the tank to keep him in the league for another couple of years. If he can maintain that 20-25 point pace, it should certainly be enough to decide that. The question then becomes, will he stay in New York or will he hit the open market, once again in search of what would be his sixth different NHL team? 

There’s a lot that will go into that decision. Between his history with the team and how solid he’s been in his role, I could see the Rangers having interest in keeping him around if the price is right. However, if this team falls short in the playoffs yet again, I don’t see anyone having any interest in bringing back any pending UFA’s, including Vesey. This will potentially be a make or break year for the franchise as a whole and the same could be said for Jimmy Vesey’s future. Both as a New York Ranger and a NHL player as a whole.