On Jimmy Vesey …
Dan Rosen: “Don’t begrudge Jimmy Vesey for anything. He’s playing by the rules, teams clearly value him. He should explore every option because he can.”
Joe McDonald: Jimmy Vesey and his camp will b\e discussing all their options starting today. He’s met with all seven teams that were on his list – Rangers, Devils, Islanders, Bruins, Blackhawks, Penguins and Maple Leafs.
Joe McDonald: The Sabres have also spoken with Vesey, so technically eight teams are in the running to sign the free agent.
Mike Grinnell: Source on Vesey: “No way he goes to Toronto. But I could still see Boston happening.”
Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald: Source said in a text message that the “Bruins did well today” with regards to their meeting with Vesey yesterday.
There had been speculation that the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs were the front-runners. The Bruins appear to be very much in the picture though.
Source saying Vesey’s decision could come on Friday or Saturday.
Arthur Staple: The Islanders were one of the teams that met with Vesey and his reps yesterday. Not known how it went, but feeling is that they are still a long shot.
Joe MacDonald on ESPN: Islanders John Tavares has been following what has been going on Vesey. He admitted to ESPN that he has spoken with him.
“There’s obviously not a lot going on in the hockey world right now, so with Jimmy’s decision coming up and him being a very good prospect, and potentially to really impact the lineup right away because of his age (23), and his skill set and maturity level, he’s obviously a high priority for some teams, and for us, we’re obviously on his short list and have that opportunity,” Tavares told ESPN.com. “I really believe in our team and I’m sure they want to show him why we’re the best fit for him and how he can impact our team and make us better, so we’ll see what happens and if we’re lucky enough we’ll be able to get an impact player like him.”