Vesey camp says Predators knew UFA risk before trade deadline

Advisors for Jimmy Vesey refuted a claim that their client informed the Nashville Predators he would sign with the club after his college career at Harvard ended this spring.

Peter Fish and Pete Donatelli, who are advising Vesey, released a statement saying they had informed the Preds that Vesey, a 2012 draft pick, could potentially not sign with them and become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15.

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“Nashville now claims and it has been widely reported that they were without knowledge of this possibility and that this lack of knowledge precluded the hockey club from acquiring a player at the Trade Deadline. This contention is not accurate,” the statement said. “The Nashville Predators were informed prior to the Trade Deadline that they should conduct their business as they saw fit and that the potential of signing or not signing Jimmy Vesey should not be a factor in their decision.”

When it was reported Vesey informed Nashville he would opt for unrestricted free agency, Nashville general manager David Poile said the prospect and his father told the team that he would sign with the Predators.

"His dad had told me, had told (Predators coach) Peter Laviolette, Scott Nichol, Paul Fenton, that his son was going to sign with us. And Jimmy himself told Paul Fenton prior to the trade deadline, which was an important time for us because it was our last opportunity to change our team.”

Poile also ripped Vesey’s representation, saying the prospect got “bad advice.”

At the trade deadline, Poile told The Tennessean the team stood pat because they were hoping Vesey would join them for their playoff push. Nashville selected Vesey with a third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. At Harvard, he blossomed into one of the top players in college hockey, scoring 56 goals in his last 70 games. Vesey is considered an NHL-ready prospect and Nashville offered him a spot on their first-line for the rest of this season.

“The biggest thing in this trading deadline is that we did not want to give away Vesey’s position on our team," Poile said. "We have a place for him to come in and play. We feel he is as good or better than anybody we could have gotten in a trade. We want to sign him when he gets out of school. We've told him we have a place for him and I didn't want to take away that place." 

The Predators also offered Vesey an opportunity to burn a year off his entry-level contract, giving him a chance to receive a pay increase sooner in his NHL career. His advisors said that the notion Vesey could make more money over the length of his career as an NHL player by playing this year was not true. Currently all teams can offer Vesey the same contract, though Nashville was the only club that could allow Vesey to use an entry-level year. 

“The club has further claimed that the decision to elect Unrestricted Free Agency is bizarre and does not make sense financially. If this election was based solely in regard to money Jimmy would have signed after his third college season, burned a year off of his Entry Level Contract, and been eligible for both signing bonus and salary compensation,” the statement said “A full analysis of his options was conducted. Whether Jimmy will lose any money is speculative at best. However, it is believed such a loss, if any, can be more than made up as a result of on ice and off ice opportunities in the City and Organization of his choice.”

Staying at Harvard and graduating in four years was important to Vesey, which his advisors also mentioned.

“The decision to become an Unrestricted free Agent was ultimately determined by what was best for Jimmy Vesey’s hockey career,” they said. “This election, although unrelated to the determining hockey factors, will also allow Jimmy to graduate from Harvard University this spring.  Jimmy and his family are very proud and pleased that this will indeed happen.” 

The Predators still can sign Vesey before Aug. 15, but it appears the well has been poisoned between the two camps. There is a report that Vesey wants to sign with his hometown Boston Bruins. Vesey’s father is a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and his brother is a Leafs prospect.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper