Nashville traded Vesey to the Sabres for a 2016 third-round pick June 20. Vesey did not sign with Buffalo and became an unrestricted free agent Tuesday.
Vesey (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 33 games last season, and 144 points (80 goals, 64 assists) in 128 games during his four-season Harvard career.
Islanders captain John Tavares
was part of their pitch made to Vesey on Tuesday
.
"There's obviously not a lot going on in the hockey world right now, so with Jimmy's decision coming up and him being a very good prospect, and potentially to really impact the lineup right away because of his age (23), and his skill set and maturity level, he's obviously a high priority for some teams, and for us, we're obviously on his short list and have that opportunity," Tavares told ESPN.com reporter Joe McDonald. "I really believe in our team and I'm sure they want to show him why we're the best fit for him and how he can impact our team and make us better, so we'll see what happens and if we're lucky enough we'll be able to get an impact player like him."