The journey Jimmy Vesey envisioned for himself in the National Hockey League probably didn’t include driving his own car from Toronto to Kanata, Ont., after being claimed on waivers.
It was less than five years ago that the New York Rangers sent a limousine for him after winning the sweepstakes to sign Vesey, who flexed his contractual rights following four years at Harvard to spurn – and infuriate – the Nashville Predators team that drafted him.
Predators general manager David Poile made sure to tell reporters in 2016: “Allow me to confirm we offered Jimmy a spot in our top six, playoff time and a chance to burn a year on his ELC.”
The reigning Hobey Baker Trophy winner from Boston chose free agency over the Predators, was courted by at least a dozen NHL teams and signed before the 2016-17 season with the Rangers after a recruitment campaign that included social media pitches from several New York celebrity athletes.
Fast forward 4 ½ years and there was Vesey, now 27 and on his fourth team, bombing his way Wednesday to Ottawa after the Vancouver Canucks claimed him on waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had signed Vesey to a one-year contract on the third day of free agency last October.
Despite his on-time arrival, Jimmy Vesey couldn’t play in the Canucks’ 3-2 shootout win Wednesday night because the team was unable to update his Canadian work visa to reflect a change in employers.
But he flew with the team post-game to Montreal, leaving his car behind at the Canadian Tire Centre to be shipped home later. Vesey should make his Canucks debut Friday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
This review of Vesey’s path through professional hockey is not to make fun of him. Nobody loves a redemption story more than a sportswriter. And Vesey will be given a real opportunity by the Canucks to prove he can still be “that guy” who came out of college after scoring 80 goals in 128 games at Harvard – then began his NHL career promisingly enough with seasons of 16, 17 and 17 goals for the Rangers before he was traded in 2019 to Buffalo.
But the NHL will humble you. It can beat you down, and Vesey’s journey is one team away from making him a journeyman.
“I would say, you know, my journey has been great,” Vesey said Thursday during an online press conference. “I wouldn’t trade anything. I’ve played in some great organizations and met some lifelong friends. Coming out of college, obviously there was a lot of attention, but I didn’t really know what I would be at this level. I had a lot of leverage at that point and I did what I felt put me in the best place to make the NHL and to stay. And it’s been a great 4½ years so far.
“In terms of the league, yeah, it’s a challenge. I always tell people that the highs are really high and the lows can be really low, so it is challenging. We’re all athletes and put a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform. I would put myself in that category as well. But at the end of the day, I’ve had a great time and… wouldn’t trade my journey in for anything.”
Most players in his position will say all they seek is a fair opportunity, and in this regard Vesey’s move to the Canucks couldn’t be more timely.
Top-six winger Tanner Pearson, a potential trade chip for general manager Jim Benning ahead of the April 12 deadline, suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury on Wednesday.
Vesey was relegated to a depth role on the talented Leafs, but could find his average ice time of 11:07 spike upwards with the Canucks. Vesey was a frequent linemate in New York of J.T. Miller, and also played with the Vancouver star on the United States’ gold-medal winning team at the 2013 world junior championships.
“I know Millsy very well,” Vesey said. “World juniors we won a gold medal and then played a year and a half in New York and got pretty close there. He was in Boston for a couple of days this summer. We had dinner and we were supposed to golf but got rained out. I know Millsy really well and it’s great to have a familiar face in the locker room. He was one of the first people that reached out to me.”
As for the potential of an increased role with the Canucks, Vesey said: “I’m excited for the opportunity and, from talking to the coaches, it looks like I might have a more prominent role on the team than what I had with Toronto.
“I’ve played up and down the lineup. I guess in New York and in Buffalo I’ve played stretches of games with. . . their top six. I always felt that when I’m on top of my game that I belong there. I think for me it’s just a matter of consistency and being able to do that every night. That’s something I am still striving for.”
Five years in, he’s still striving for a lot at the NHL level. Vesey had five goals and seven points in 30 games for Toronto, where his shots-for percentage (45.3) and expected goals-for (47.1) were near the bottom of the team.
Still, this wasn’t a change he sought. Getting waived by a team, discarded, is never easy. But Vesey doesn’t get to call his own shot now.
“You know, [it sucks], I guess, when you get put on waivers,” he said. “No one really wants to experience that. At the same time, I’ve been claimed by Vancouver and, to me, that means… they wanted me, so I’m really excited for it. But at the end of the day, no one wants to be put on waivers, no one wants to not be playing that much or playing down the lineup. We’re all athletes and competitors and we want to perform. Overall, I’m just really excited to have this chance.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
