Predators GM: Vesey 'told us that he was going to sign with us'

As disappointed as he is, David Poile isn't giving up.

That was the message pushed by the Nashville Predators general manager after a report came out Monday night that top prospect Jimmy Vesey would not be signing his entry-level contract with the team, choosing instead to become a free agent as of Aug. 15.

"I clearly believe that Jimmy has received bad advice and bad counsel," Poile told reporters.

"(It's) very disappointing news for us, our fans and team," he added. "On Wednesday we received a call that Vesey was thinking about (free agency). That was the first time we ever heard something like that. We went to Harvard's game on Friday, we asked for a meeting with Jimmy (and) we never were allowed to get together for a meeting."

Poile also said Vesey would have been put in a position to succeed immediately in Nashville.

"Every indication was that he was going to sign with us. His dad had told me, had told Peter Laviolette, Scott Nichol, Paul Fenton that his son was going to sign with us," Poile added. "And Jimmy, himself, told Paul Fenton prior to the trade deadline, which was an important time for us because it our last opportunity to change our team. We told him if he was going to sign with us we were going to keep a position available for him, and he told us that he was going to sign with us.

"So for whatever reason, and after all the time and resources that we invested in Jimmy Vesey's development, we could not get a meeting with Jimmy, his family and his representatives all together. That's the only thing I asked for after Wednesday and they would not accommodate us on that."

Finally, Poile made it clear nothing is yet set in stone, from his point of view at least.

"I'm not going to announce we haven't signed him, because I'm not giving up."