Jimmy Vesey made his season debut for the New York Rangers on Sunday, although it was somewhat overshadowed by their 5-2 win over the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden. Coach Peter Laviolette expressed his pleasure at having the 31-year-old back on the roster after he missed the first 10 games due to a lower-body injury incurred during training camp.
When asked about Vesey and his linemates, Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom, being deployed as a checking unit against the opponents’ top lines, Laviolette commented, “They take it out of our end, they put it down to the offensive zone and they stay with it. So yeah, I think there’s potential there for that.”
During Sunday’s game, Vesey participated in 10 shifts, totaling 8:28 in ice time, and recorded two shots on goal, one hit, and one takeaway. After the game, he noted, “I just played simple, tried to play my game as best I could. I missed some of training camp, so I’m trying to get my legs here on the fly, but it was a good start and I hope I can build on it. I thought we skated well, turned some pucks over, and had a few shifts where we maintained offensive pressure. I thought we could have scored three goals.” He also admitted feeling a bit rusty and anticipated needing a couple more games to find his rhythm, adding, “Overall, I thought our line was pretty good.”
Vesey expressed excitement about the possibility of facing the opposing team’s top lines. “In theory, it’s great if we can go against one of their top lines,” he said. “I think it can shift matchups within the game and create more favorable situations for us. I think we did that a little bit. That’s a goal for us to become that checking line, and hopefully, we can keep progressing toward it.”
Despite being positioned as a checking-line player, Laviolette believes Vesey can still add offensive value. A standout scorer at Harvard and the 66th overall pick by the Nashville Predators in the 2012 NHL Draft, Vesey won the Hobey Baker Award in 2015-16 before joining the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent in 2016. While his NHL career bests are 17 goals and 35 points with the Rangers in 2018-19, he has established himself as a reliable bottom-six player since returning to New York for the 2022-23 season after stints with four other teams.
Last season, Vesey recorded 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) over 80 games, averaging 12:23 of ice time. However, Laviolette feels Vesey can offer more offensively than is typical for a fourth-liner. He remarked, “Jimmy is a veteran player who has put up a lot of points in his career and has learned to adapt his game in the NHL. That doesn’t mean he can’t still contribute offensively; I believe he can. He’s a smart, veteran player capable of fitting in on any line if needed.”
