Upon choosing the Rangers over his hometown Bruins after extensive meetings and deliberations, Vesey promptly caught a gibe from Boston forward Matt Beleskey, who signed with Boston as a free agent last summer.
The Bruins, of course, have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and would probably be better served boosting the blue line, but Vesey may be in for an interesting welcome when Boston hosts the Rangers on Nov. 5.
The New York Rangers and their newest player, Jimmy Vesey, spoke with the media Friday night, after the highly sought-after free agent put pen to paper on a two-year, entry-level contract with the club. And both parties are ecstatic.
"I am very pleased to be a part of the Rangers organiziation," Vesey said. "Based on our talks I think New York was the right fit."
Vesey strongly considered eight teams, tweeted the The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. In the end, the Rangers won out, because they proved to Vesey that they really wanted the Hobey Baker Award winner.
Jimmy Vesey on #NYR celebrity tweets: "I don’t think it had a factor in the decision, so to speak." Was aware of them.
The Rangers "don't expect me to come in and be a savior," Vesey said. "I just thought that New York was somewhere that I could play and hopefully stick in the NHL," he added.
Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said he was excited - to say the least - when Vesey called to say he'd picked New York.
Gorton on Vesey call to say he chose #NYR: "I probably had a pretty exciting comeback for him. I probably can’t say it in public."
"He has the ability to score, make plays," Gorton said. "I think he can come in and play. We're very happy today. We think we have some good youth and this helps with that.
"(Vesey's) a pretty proud guy, very confident in his ability. I think he seen an opportunity to play. (I) felt we made a connection."
Former Ranger Chris Drury played an integral role in selling New York to the 23-year-old college standout.
Vesey: Hayes "definitely had a big impact & really impressed with Chris Drury, someone I respect a lot what for he’s done in his career."
Just when you thought the spotlight on Jimmy Vesey's long-awaited decision couldn't get any brighter, he chose the shiniest city in the world.
The 23-year-old Harvard product is heading to Broadway after signing with the New York Rangers on Friday, ending months of constant speculation.
While he may have broken the hearts of the several teams and fans courting his services, Vesey got the most out of his free-agent experience, and now everyone can shift their focus to how he'll perform come October.
Where he'll slot in
Vesey joins an incredibly deep forward corps in New York - especially on the left wing, where he's expected to play - that includes the likes of Chris Kreider, Rick Nash, and the emerging J.T. Miller.
Slotting Vesey in the top six will require some tinkering, perhaps moving Nash to the right wing and Fast down in the order, but head coach Alain Vigneault surely has options.
In his final two seasons at Harvard, Vesey scored 56 goals in 70 contests, and it's reasonable to believe the Rangers will provide him power-play opportunities to fully take advantage of his offensive capabilities.
Whether he's in the top or bottom six, bringing in Vesey to a roster that's added Mika Zibanejad, as well as veteran forwards Nathan Gerbe and Michael Grabner, over the offseason, could create one of the most potent attacks the Eastern Conference has to offer.
Top of the prospect pool
The instant Vesey put pen to paper with the Rangers, he became their best prospect.
Years of trading assets in pursuit of a Stanley Cup has left New York's cupboard bare, and adding a potential top-six forward on an entry-level contract provides immediate help with virtually no risk.
Somewhat amazingly, the Rangers haven't had a first-round draft pick since 2012, when they selected defenseman Brady Skjei - who made a pleasant impact in his brief stint with the club last season - 28th overall.
Along with Skjei, 2013 third-rounder Pavel Buchnevich is showing promise, scoring 37 points in 58 KHL games last season, but following those two, the Rangers' development pool is incredibly shallow.
Will he be a difference-maker?
After four consecutive seasons of advancing past the first round of the playoffs, including two Eastern Conference finals losses and one Stanley Cup defeat, the Rangers failed to continue the trend last season, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games this April.
While adding Vesey was a big get, and a prudent signing, the Rangers' Cup window doesn't rest on him or its offense, but on the broad shoulders of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and a defensive platoon that lost Keith Yandle.
Vesey is a nice addition to a team that ranked seventh in goals per game, but it's hard to believe he's the missing piece on a team that appears to be trending downward.
Above all else, though, the recruiting saga is finished, and now the hockey world, including plenty of eyes in The Big Apple, can focus on what he offers on the ice.
So, for their Vesey pitch, the Rangers enlisted the dude from Taken, Turtle from Entourage, Thor from the Mets and Susan Sarandon.
The kid's a member of the New York Rangers now, ending his free agency by signing a two-year, entry-level deal Friday. And details are beginning to emerge about New York's sales pitch. Including the only one that matters:
Hearing NYR sales pitch included video that concluded with Liam Neeson saying, 'Jimmy, if you don't sign with the Rangers, I will find you!'
The Boston Bruins wanted to keep Jimmy Vesey at home, and they tried. Hard.
Born in North Reading, Mass., only 40 minutes north of Boston, and a Harvard product, Vesey clearly has ties to the area. In the end, though, he chose to sign with the New York Rangers, agreeing to a two-year deal in Manhattan.
But the Bruins will sleep Friday night knowing their pitch was their best.
Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Krug, McQuaid attended the Vesey pitch. Sweeney: "We had to take a swing at it."
White smoke emerged from Jimmy Vesey headquarters Friday, as the former Harvard standout finally made his decision about his playing future, signing what's assumed to be a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.
Below you'll find some of the best reactions on Twitter after the deal was announced.
If you're a Seinfeld fan, you'll like this one:
Jimmy Vesey's been watching you, @NYRangers....you're just Jimmy's type.
The Notre Dame standout was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round in 2012, but after three seasons in South Bend, he opted to sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Cup champs Friday.
For DiPauli, it's a chance to play for the team he's always rooted for.
"They've always been my favorite team," he said. "I even wore 87 growing up. I'm one of those kids."
Unfortunately for DiPauli, No. 87 is still unavailable in Pittsburgh.
Vesey enters the NHL as a Harvard graduate and the 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner as the NCAA's top men's college hockey player. He decided to exercise his right to hit the open market in lieu of signing with the Nashville Predators, who selected him in the third round (66th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
The Buffalo Sabres acquired Vesey's rights from the Predators in exchange for a third-round pick at this year's draft, knowing the young forward could still choose to become a free agent on Aug. 16.
Over his past two seasons at Harvard, Vesey scored 56 goals and added 48 assists in 70 games, good for an average of 0.8 goals and 1.49 points per contest. He also won a bronze medal as a member of USA's World Championship team this past May.
