The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Jimmy Vesey off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs only weeks before the trade deadline. The team will hope that the former Leaf adds some depth to a team that has several injuries, but is just three points back for the fourth playoff spot in the North Division. TSN reported the claim late Wednesday morning.
The Vancouver #Canucks claimed forward Jimmy Vesey off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs and goaltender Anton Forsberg was claimed by the Ottawa Senators from the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday: https://t.co/NGi7BMDCdJ#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/LVihmbYFy9
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) March 17, 2021
Canucks Claim Jimmy Vesey
The 27-year-old Vesey has been a major disappointment for Toronto in 2020-21. He has just five goals and seven points in 30 games. His scoring rate has never been especially high, but he is at a career-low 0.23 points per game at this point in the season. Vesey also wasn’t doing much to drive play either with a poor 45.6 Corsi For and -5.5 relative Corsi. It’s easily the worst season of the Boston native’s career. However, a change of scenery could help return him to previous levels of production. This is a skater that scored 17 goals in consecutive seasons not that long ago.
The Nashville Predators originally drafted Vesey in the third round of the 2012 Draft, but he didn’t debut until 2016-17 with the New York Rangers. He skated with one of the Original Six until 2019 when New York shipped him to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick in the upcoming 2021 Draft. Overall, the 6′-3″ wing has 64 goals and 117 points in 334 games.
What This Means For The Future
It’s unclear exactly where Vesey fits on the Vancouver roster, but it’s safe to assume his role will be somewhere on the bottom-six. The third and fourth lines have produced almost no value for the Canucks this year. Vesey has an outside shot to make a serious impact on a team that needs goals badly.
On the the other side, Toronto sheds Vesey’s cap hit as they search for another impact forward via trade. It appears as though Alex Galchenyuk will move onto the active roster until an upgrade can be acquired.
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