Red Wings: 3 “Under the radar” free agents to target this offseason

Adding to the list of “under the radar” players to keep an eye on, the Detroit Red Wings need to take a look at winger Jimmy Vesey.

Another option the Red Wings should consider is Jimmy Vesey, a winger who is another cost-effective consideration. Vesey played his 2019-20 hockey with the Buffalo Sabres after breaking into the league with the New York Rangers after bursting onto the scene from Harvard.

Vesey is 27 years old and could be a phenomenal addition to the Red Wings grouping of forwards. While Vesey took home $2.275 million on his contract with the Sabres in 2019-20, he can be another player who could be given a raise and still be a good signing for the organization.

This past season, Vesey played in 64 games for the Sabres, tallying nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points, while being a plus-12 on the year. Analytically, Vesey’s CF% was 48.7, which was just 1.1% lower than the Buffalo team average.

Also, it should be noted that Vesey had a 103.9 PDO rating, which is a measure of “luck,” and anything above 100 should be considered lucky; a 103.9 is pretty fortunate. Vesey turned heads when he first joined the Rangers back in the 2016-17 season but has fallen into the backseat lately.

The Red Wings should take note of Vesey and try to bring him in on a team-friendly deal if the opportunity presents itself. Given the way his career has gone so far, the Red Wings should be able to sneak in and, at a minimum, make a pitch for the winger.

Vesey has the chance to show some offensive skills; he is someone to keep on the shortlist of players who might get overlooked by other teams looking at big names. If that happens, the Red Wings should step in and try to work something out with Vesey.