The clock is ticking, Jimmy.

As the hockey world patiently awaits what will prove to be a very drawn-out decision by Jimmy Vesey, ESPN's Joe McDonald reports that the 23-year-old Harvard product has met with all the teams on his short list.

McDonald also reports that Vesey engaged in discussions with the Buffalo Sabres leading up to his free-agency period, so that puts eight teams in the running for his services.

Vesey is coming off a 46-point season at Harvard, earning him the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top player.

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After U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal urged NHL comissioner Gary Bettman to change his stance on the link between concussions and long-term brain damage, Bettman stands firm.

"Obviously the senator has his opinions and we have ours," Bettman said Wednesday, according to Jonas Siegel of The Canadian Press.

Blumenthal reached out to the commissioner in June, and has since penned a letter on how the league should address the issue of concussions and possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in the brains of current and former players.

But Bettman has repeatedly denied Blumenthal's claims, and refuses to get in a "public debate" about the matter. Bettman also said he believes "medical and scientific decisions should be made by scientists and physicians."

Although both sides continue to go back and forth, Bettman doesn't believe it's worth much.

"It hasn't gained any traction," he said.

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Joe Pavelski is your new Captain America.

The San Jose Sharks forward is expected to be named Team USA's captain for the World Cup of Hockey in September, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area, backed by NHL.com.

In 2015-16 - his first season as Sharks captain - Pavelski scored 38 goals and 40 assists in 82 games, adding another 23 points in 24 playoff contests as San Jose appeared in its first-ever Stanley Cup Final.

Internationally, Pavelski has represented the Stars and Stripes at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, earning a silver medal in Vancouver.

Team USA kicks things off Sept. 17 in Toronto versus Team Europe.

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The movement to streamline goalie equipment in the NHL appears to have hit a speed bump.

In March, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reported the league is "full-steam ahead" in shrinking the gear, but speaking at a World Cup of Hockey press conference Wednesday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the process isn't yet completed.

"It's still a work in progress," Bettman said, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "I know our people in hockey operations are working very hard with the players' association. I am hopeful that we can get it in place because I think it's important."

The goal was to have the equipment ready for the World Cup in September, but Spector reports the NHL and NHLPA have yet to agree on the new gear.

"We're supposed to have everything in play for Game 1 (of the World Cup)," Team Canada and St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "But my belief on that stuff is, you worry about things you have control over. That's not something (he can control). Either it's going to be there or it's not; we're going to play with it or we're not."

While it's unknown when the new equipment will be implemented, it's clear the transition isn't going as smooth as initially hoped.

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The St. Louis Blues fell short of their ultimate goal last season, but still managed to take major strides in advancing to the Western Conference Final, an accomplishment that's eluded the club for 15 years.

Now, with last season's postseason run in the rearview mirror, the Blues are looking ahead to next year with a significantly different roster.

Longtime captain David Backes left for the Boston Bruins, Troy Brouwer signed with the Calgary Flames, joining former St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott.

With several key cogs now in different places, the Blues have to rely on a smaller, younger roster to contend once again, something general manager Doug Armstrong isn't particularly concerned with.

"It's a different group," Armstrong told Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com. "We've been a little bit on autopilot the last couple of years, just bringing back a good group year in and year out. This is the first time we've had some change, and I think everyone's excited about it."

Among the youth St. Louis employs is sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, only 24-years-old, along with emerging forward Robby Fabbri, 20, and blossoming top-four defenseman Colton Parayko, 23.

"I think the game is getting faster, and youth is being served," Armstrong said. "I think we were going to transfer to this regardless."

Much of the onus will fall on Tarasenko's shoulders, as the team's most dynamic forward, and Armstrong believes a growing role for the Russian will do him and the team well.

"He'll be really good, and he expects to be really good, and we need him to be really good," Armstrong said.

Having eliminated division rivals Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars in the postseason, the new-look Blues will surely have targets on their backs in the mighty Central Division come October.

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Matt Cullen is giving it another go.

The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed the veteran forward to a one-year contract worth $1 million, the club announced Wednesday.

Cullen reunited with general manager Jim Rutherford - whom he won a Cup with in Carolina in 2006 - in Pittsburgh on a one-year deal last offseason after contemplating retirement. Cullen, however, ended up becoming a key piece to the Penguins' Stanley Cup run.

The 39-year-old suited up in all 82 contests last season, notching 16 goals and 16 assists, chipping in another six points in 24 playoff games.

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A freak accident in Sweden's second-tier pro league cost a linesman one of his fingers Tuesday.

As the video shows, the official was bumped out along the boards during a game between Tingsryds and Oskarshamn, and lost a finger as a result.

The incident certainly left an impression on witnesses.

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The New York Rangers have signed defenseman John Gilmour to a reported two-year deal, according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal.

Similar to the coveted Jimmy Vesey, Gilmour was a college graduate who became an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. He was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the seventh round in 2013.

Gilmour concluded his fourth year at Providence College this season with nine goals and 23 points in 34 games.

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