Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jimmy Vesey could be headed to the KHL in Russia amid an uncertain future in the NHL.
A report in RG Media published on July 29 indicated that Vesey, who is currently a UFA, is weighing offers from several Russian clubs and one Chinese team after the Colorado Avalanche passed on signing him this offseason.
The piece cited a source close to Vesey who stated:
“Jimmy has been asking a lot of questions about how things work in the KHL and is seriously considering offers from the top European league.”
The teams believed to be interested in signing the 32-year-old include the Ak Bars Kazan and Dinamo Minsk in the KHL and Kunlun Red Star in China.
Vesey split this past season between the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche, scoring five goals and eight points in 43 games.
The 66th overall pick from the 2012 draft played 30 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2020-21 season. He scored five goals and seven points in 30 games. He has since then bounced around several NHL clubs, including two stints with the New York Rangers.
Looking Back at Vesey’s Time with Maple Leafs
Jimmy Vesey was one of the hottest players back in the mid-2010s. Vesey had been originally sought after by a number of teams following his refusal to sign with the Nashville Predators. Nashville had drafted Vesey, but the former Harvard University player opted for the NCAA instead of signing with the Preds.
Vesey went on to earn back-to-back Hobey Baker nominations as the NCAA’s top player. Upon graduation, teams were scrambling to land the promising star. In 2016, The Predators traded Vesey’s rights to the Buffalo Sabres.
Once again, Vesey didn’t sign, making him a UFA. The Maple Leafs were among the teams chasing Vesey, but he ultimately chose to sign with the Rangers.
However, Vesey didn’t live up to the hype at the NHL level. He ended up leaving the Rangers after three seasons. Vesey landed with the Maple Leafs in the 2020 offseason following a disappointing season with the Buffalo Sabres.
Vesey, unfortunately, didn’t quite catch on with the Maple Leafs. He spent the bulk of his playing time in the bottom six. The lack of impact led Toronto to place him on waivers in March of 2021.
Toronto Drafted Jimmy Vesey’s Brother, Nolan
Interestingly enough, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Jimmy Vesey’s brother, Nolan. The Leafs took Nolan Vesey in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Draft.
Sadly, Nolan never made it to the NHL. He spent four seasons at the University of Maine in the NCAA. Following his time there, The Maple Leafs treed Nolan’s rights to the Edmonton Oilers for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Nolan Vesey spent parts of two seasons in the Oilers’ organization, playing mainly in the ECHL. His career was over by the end of the 2022-23 season.
Had both Vesey brothers caught on in Toronto, the Maple Leafs could have had another set of brothers suit up for the club.
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