Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey out for ‘a few weeks’ with lower-body injury

The New York Rangers head coach provided an update on a wounded player. When speaking to the media on Monday, Peter Laviolette revealed that forward Jimmy Vesey will be out for “a few weeks” with a lower-body injury.

Vesey reportedly went down with an injury after falling to the ice during the Rangers’ practice on Sunday and had to leave the session prematurely. When talking to reporters in the immediate aftermath, Laviolette said the incident seemed harmless. It is unclear if Vesey will be ready for the Blueshirts’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9.

Vesey is heading into his third season of his second stint with the Rangers. Last season, he scored 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games, the highest-scoring season since the 2018-19 campaign, where Vesey posted a career-high 35 points. He also notched three points in 12 playoff games as the Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

Vesey will be entering the final season of his two-year contract, which he signed in Jan. 2023. The contract carries an AAV of $800,000. The 31-year-old is currently slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season.

The Boston native signed with the Rangers as a free agent in August 2016 after his signing rights expired following his college career. He played three years for the Rangers from 2016 to 2019 before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres. After spending one year in Buffalo, Vesey bounced around, spending single seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils before coming back to the Rangers in 2022.

In 503 NHL games, Vesey has totaled 96 goals and 90 assists for 186 points. In 31 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, all coming with the Rangers, he has scored two goals and seven assists for nine points.