The forward scored 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 64 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season.
"Before signing with the Leafs, I had a conversation with (Toronto president) Kyle [Shanahan] and (coach) Sheldon [Keefe], and they both made me feel really good and really comfortable, and I thought it was a great fit for me to come to Toronto, a team that I think is on the cusp of breaking out and going deep in the Stanley Cup [Playoffs]," Vesey said Thursday. "As an athlete, that's what you want to be a part of and I'm really excited to get going."
The 27-year-old will be reunited with forward Alexander Kerfoot, his teammate at Harvard from 2013-16, and defenseman Zach Bogosian and Wayne Simmonds, who were his teammates with the Sabres. Vesey's father, Jim, is a scout for the Maple Leafs.
Vesey was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round (No. 66) of the 2012 NHL Draft, but after playing four seasons at Harvard, where he won the Hobey Baker Award as the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey in 2016, he opted not to sign with Nashville and was traded to the Sabres on June 20, 2016. However, Vesey also chose not to sign with Buffalo, opting instead to become a free agent before signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on Aug. 19, 2016.
Following three seasons in New York, Vesey was traded again to Buffalo on July 1, 2019.
Vesey has scored 110 points (59 goals, 51 assists) in 304 regular-season games with the Sabres and Rangers, and five points (one goal, four assists) in 12 NHL playoff games.
