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We mentioned this past the upcoming decision of Harvard senior forward Jimmy Vesey, who was deciding between signing with the Nashville Predators to join them for the rest of the season, and waiting until August 15th, at which point, he would become an NHL free agent, capable of signing with any team.
Today, it appears that Vesey has made his decision, opting not to sign with the Predators:
Representatives for Jimmy Vesey today informed NSH their client will be exercising his right to unrestricted free agency on Aug. 15. #TSN
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 29, 2016
This is a huge blow to the Predators, who tried everything they could to sign Vesey. But ultimately, it never seemed like his heart was in Nashville. When Vesey made the decision to return to Harvard for his senior season, the ability to become a free agent after graduating was rumored to be a driving factor in that decision(despite whatever PR came out of the Vesey camp). Predators GM David Poile made a strong final push, but they were in an unwinnable situation.
It will be interesting to see where Vesey signs. He's a Boston native, making the Bruins a possible target, and his father is a scout in Toronto, another possible situation. It will be an interesting situation to follow because he won't be able to be signed until late August.