No decision expected until Friday or Saturday at the earliest, per agent Peter Fish.
Jimmy Vesey Watch: Leafs, Matthews pitching today (Sportsnet)
Red Wings made pitch for Jimmy Vesey but didn’t make short list (MLive)
“We did our best,” Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said. “We spoke to his agent about depth and opportunity. He said he preferred to play closer to home.” The list of teams the 23-year-old Boston native is rumored to have interest inincludes Chicago, New Jersey, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo and his hometown Bruins.
Told Islanders are right in contention for Jimmy Vesey with other finalists. Close to home. Good fit with young forwards.
— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) August 16, 2016
Ben Smith, journeyman right wing, signs with Colorado Avalanche (Denver Post)
Bolstering depth in the organization and perhaps on the NHL roster, the Avalanche Tuesday signed right wing Ben Smith to a one-year, two-way deal. Smith, 28, has split his professional career between the NHL and the American Hockey League, and has 27 goals and 23 assists in 197 NHL games with Chicago, San Jose and Toronto.
Agent: Vesey set to take patient approach as NHL free agent (AP)
Vesey’s agent, Peter Fish, told The Associated Press on Monday that college hockey’s top player is in no rush to sign his first contract. “It’s certainly not going to be tomorrow,” Fish said. “I would say the earliest may be Friday or Saturday, but I wouldn’t expect it to drag on much into the following week.”
Five intriguing college free agents not named Jimmy Vesey (THN)
Di Pauli’s availability as a free agent has flown under the radar because of Vesey being on the market, but consecutive breakout years at Notre Dame should have a few teams talking to Di Pauli over the coming week. Di Pauli’s 14 goals and 32 points this past season were impressive, as was his shot total jumping by 45 from the 2014-15 campaign.
Top 25 Under 25: Travis Dermott rises to No. 19 (PPP)
While Dermott’s primary points per game numbers weren’t earth shattering at 0.471, he still finished ahead of some top prospects, including Arizona Coyotes first rounder Jakob Chychrun, Calgary Flames prospect Rasmus Andersson, and Carolina Hurricanesprospect Roland McKeown. On a sheer points per game level, Dermott ranked fourth in the OHL behind Andersson, Coyotes prospect Cam Dineen, and Montreal Canadiens prospect Mikhail Sergachev.
