Update: Jimmy Vesey has signed with the New York Rangers.
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Jimmy Vesey watch is in full force as the free agent mulls his decision.
The 2015-16 Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in NCAA hockey has generated a lot of interest from teams after hitting free agency on Tuesday. Vesey has apparently narrowed his choice down to eight teams.
Vesey has met with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Buffalo Sabres are also in the running for his services, according to ESPN.com.
"I would say the earliest [he will sign] may be Friday or Saturday, but I wouldn't expect it to drag on much into the following week," Vesey's agent Peter Fish said earlier this week, according to NHL.com.
Vesey, 23, is a 6-foot-1, 195 pound winger and scored 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points for Harvard last season. He had 80 tallies and 64 helpers for 144 points in his 128-game college career.
The Predators drafted Vesey with the No. 66 overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft.
After his college season came to an end, Nashville offered the left winger a top-six role on their team during the Stanley Cup playoffs, but he declined. The Predators went on to topple the Ducks in the franchise's first Game 7 in history before falling to the Sharks in seven games in Round 2.
Vesey was traded from the Predators to the Sabres on June 20 in exchange for a 2016 third-round pick. After he didn't sign with Buffalo, he hit the open market on Tuesday.
Though he didn't sign with the Sabres, they remain a possibility for him as one of the eight teams he could be signing with.
Vesey is a native of Boston and with the Bruins in the mix, his hometown could eventually sway his decision.
For now, the hockey world waits.
