Coach search leaves Rangers in limbo
The firing of Alain Vigneault changed a lot of things for the Rangers, and it left a handful of players in an ideological gray area concerning their roles going forward.
That would mostly be the large group of restricted free agents, starting with the three roommates — Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes and Brady Skjei — and then extending to the two new additions — Ryan Spooner and Vladislav Namestnikov.
Vesey is a good example of the murkiness, showing glimpses of being that power forward the Blueshirts wanted when they wooed him as a free agent out of Harvard two years ago. He also would disap- pear for weeks at a time, and it’s hard to say he’s lived up to the hype — which might be more a product of the hype that preceded him rather than this own performance.
“I would say Jimmy has to find his identity,” was how Vigneault left things off with the winger who will turn 25 years old on May 26. “What is he? Is he a power forward? Is he a skill player? I know what I’d like him to be. I’d like him to be a power forward that goes to the front of the net.”
No matter who the Rangers hire to replace Vigneault, it’s likely that is going to be the same directive toward Vesey. With two years and 159 games in the NHL under his belt, Vesey has shown an ability to get to the front of the net and score goals the way so many are scored now — on rebounds and deflections and jam-shots.
In his rookie year, he burst onto the scene with six goals and nine points in his first 10 games, but finished with 16 goals and 27 points. This season, he finished with 17 goals and 28 points — but only one goal on the power play as opposed to his five in 2016-17.
He got an increased role once general manager Jeff Gorton traded off assets leading up to the Feb. 26 trade deadline, and Vesey thought he thrived with more responsibility.
“I think I had ups and downs again, but I think I’ve had a solid year,” Vesey said a week before the season ended. “I guess I’m more mature, trying to figure out how to hold on to it a little more. I’ve shown more confidence, especially as of late, with the puck, trying to make a move or beat guys one-on-one.”
It’s likely that each one of the restricted free agents — each with arbitration rights — is going to get a one- or two-year deal with a moderate raise. The only player who Gorton might consider extending longterm would be Skjei, but even the slick-skating defenseman dropped off near the end of the season.
Yet evaluations of these players is going to be an integral piece for whoever takes over behind the bench. When Gorton hires that person, then the Rangers can begin to move out of the ambiguity and onto more solid ground.