The Predators should have approached the Feb. 29 trade deadline knowing Harvard's Jimmy Vesey would not be signing with the team, according to a source close to the family.

On Monday, Predators GM David Poile said the organization had already received confirmation from Vesey that he would sign after his collegiate season concluded at Harvard. Poile told reporters that he was "shocked" to learn of Vesey's decision to become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15 rather than signing with Nashville, the team that selected the forward No. 66th overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft.