The Rangers have announced that Jimmy Vesey has avoided arbitration and signed a two-year deal.
Larry Brooks tweets that the cap hit for the deal is $2.275 million.
Vesey, 25, played in 79 games for the Rangers last season, scoring 17 goals and 11 assists.
From the Rangers release:
- He established career-highs in several categories in 2017-18, including goals and points, and he tied his career-high in assists.
- Vesey tied for the team lead in game-winning goals (four) and game-deciding goals (one), ranked third in even strength goals (16), ranked fifth in goals and takeaways (46), and tied for sixth in hits (83).
- The Rangers posted a 15-4-3 record in games which he registered a point, including a 10-2-1 record in games which he tallied a goal.
- Vesey recorded nine points (five goals, four assists) in the final 13 games of the season, including six points (two goals, four assists) in the final eight contests.
Alain Vigneault said last season that Vesey needed to find his identity as a player and the organization believes that David Quinn will provide a clean slate.
Adam Rotter: I didn't expect the Rangers to go with a two-year deal for Vesey because he can be a UFA at the end of this contract. From a hockey point of view, two-years made sense as Vesey has yet to really establish himself as the player the Rangers thought they were getting but from a business point of view, if Vesey does develop into that player the Rangers will be allowing him to potentially test the market. Vesey has a big chance under David Quinn to be the player he was at Harvard and the 25-goal scorer many thought he would be in the NHL. I'm guessing the Rangers will be okay extending Vesey if they feel he deserves a long-term extension following this season or they will move him and allow him to get a fresh start somewhere else before becoming a UFA.