Edmonton Oilers acquire rights to Nolan Vesey in exchange for 7th round pick in 2020
By baggedmilk
5 years agoAccording to the Toronto Maple Leafs PR account, the Edmonton Oilers have acquired the rights to forward Nolan Vesey in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020. Who is Nolan Vesey? Let’s find out together.
Vesey, a former sixth-round pick in 2014 (158th overall), just finished up his fourth season at the University of Maine and will become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by August 15th. One would imagine that the Oilers will be extending a contract offer to Vesey soon considering the moved an asset to acquire him, albeit a ground level asset. Last season, Vesey registered 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 37 games played with the University of Maine.
Looking at Vesey’s stats and the profiles that I found while trying to figure out who the hell he is, I have to admit that I’m scratching my head a little bit with this move. It’s not that trading a seventh-round pick in a Draft two years from now is a big deal, not even in the same area code as a big deal, but I don’t really see the point of it. Couldn’t they find a college UFA or some other kid that could replicate Vesey’s skillset without having to trade a pick over to get it? I guess I’m just a little bit confused as to why they would spend any assets at all to acquire a 23-year-old college player that doesn’t have much going for him in terms of scoring stats. It’s not that spending a seventh rounder matters, especially when it’s two years from now, but you do have to wonder why? Who is this guy and why didn’t they just wait until August when he would probably become a free agent? Maybe they were confused and thought they were getting his brother Jimmy?
Nolan Vesey is the brother of New York Ranger, Jimmy Vesey, who caused a stir a few years back when he pulled a Justin Schultz and refused to sign with the Nashville Predators, eventually inking a deal with the Rangers for some major bank. As for his brother Nolan, the biggest news I could find about him was when he was suspended for spearing a goalie after a game had ended. Check it out:
I guess the Oilers are looking for a shit disturber? Maybe? I don’t know.
At the end of the day, this is another player for either the AHL or ECHL team as Peter Chiarelli continues to stock the depth chart with college players that are all within the same general age cluster. I don’t know what the NCAA scouts are saying to Chiarelli to win him over like they have been, but it’s clearly working as we’ve seen a steady stream of college players taking over the depth chart lately. I think the question we’re all asking ourselves right now is, who is Nolan Vesey and why would the Oilers acquire him? I think we’re going to need to dive into the Internet to find out more about him.
WHAT’S A NOLAN VESEY?
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This was one of those deals where I will readily admit that I have no idea who Nolan Vesey is, nor did I know he existed before this news broke. With that in mind, I dove into the Google machine to find out what I could about him to try and figure out what the Oilers saw in him, and why they would pay the ultra premium price of a seventh-round pick to acquire him.
Vesey is the son of former NHLer Jim Vesey and brother of 2015-16 Hobey Baker award winner Jimmy Vesey. He is an offensive oriented forward with soft hands but also plays with some grit. Vesey dominated players at the prep school and junior hockey level with his size advantage but has yet to show that same type of offensive dominance in his first two seasons of college hockey. He has time to develop the other areas of his game in his two remaining seasons at the University of Maine.
Jeff Veillette profiled Vesey over at Faceoffcircle.ca last September. From the article:
Even with his father still being in the Leafs organization, I can’t see anything short of a miraculous spike season leading the team to give him an entry-level deal. He doesn’t score enough to be on many NHL radars, and he’s not spectacular enough at anything to find himself a niche role. Perhaps he gets himself an AHL contract to prove himself in a third or fourth line setting in 2018/19, but I’m not even sure the Marlies would be the team that gives him that. I’d probably consider him out of sight, out of mind at this point.
What do you guys think?
NOLAN VESEY’S CAREER SO FAR
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | South Shore Kings | USPHL-Pr | 48 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 30 | |
| 2014-15 | U. of Maine | H-East | 36 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 37 | -6 |
| 2015-16 | U. of Maine | H-East | 36 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 41 | -11 |
| 2016-17 | U. of Maine | H-East | 36 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 36 | -8 |
| 2017-18 | U. of Maine | H-East | 37 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 16 | -2 |
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs, Verified Twitter Account, 6/8/2018 – 2:31 pm MST
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