August 15th is now only one week away. The day has been circled on Buffalo Sabres fans calendars; anxiously waiting to find out if Jimmy Vesey decides to play in Buffalo.
Vesey's agent has told 7ABC several times that his client will wait until August 15th to decide what jersey he'll wear next year. Sabres fans hoped it would never get to that point.
Just received from Vesey's agent: "Jimmy's intent at this time has not changed and is prepared to become a free agent on August 15." #Sabres
— Nick Filipowski (@NICK_WKBW) June 20, 2016
The organization traded a third round pick to Nashville for the prospect earlier this summer, and the Sabres have met with Vesey several times. But, the song remains the same: Still no contract.
At this point it would be a shock if Vesey and his camp didn't test the waters of free agency. Sabres fans have constantly voiced their frustrations, but Vesey is surely drawing interest from almost every team -- if not all of them.
The interesting thing about all of the entire situation is Vesey's decision has almost nothing to do with money. The Harvard graduate will sign an entry level contract wherever he signs, with a contract that carries a cap hit of $925,000 -- a bargain for a likely top six forward with a ton of potential.
Multiple reports have indicated Vesey has a short list of teams he'd be willing to sign with. If so, those teams can start officially negotiating with Vesey and his agent on August 15th -- which means a decision doesn't have to happen a week from Monday.
So, what happens next?
Well, likely not much of anything. We'll have to wait and see where Vesey decides to play, but fans should prepare themselves to not know for another week, at the very least.
