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The New Jersey Devils' forward core is looking a lot more formidable than it did heading into the off-season.

That said there are still some holes up front; particularly on wing.

GM Ray Shero has said time and time again he wants players that can help both now and in the future and he is not looking for short-term fixes.

There is still one (potential) free agent who meets that description: Jimmy Vesey.

The 23-year-old winger recorded 56 goals and 104 points in 70 games with Harvard over the last two seasons and should be able to step into the NHL and make an impact right away.

Vesey's rights are currently owned by the Buffalo Sabres, which means he is not able to talk to any other teams until he becomes an unrestricted free agent August 15th.

He has had plenty of time to think about where he wants to start his career, though, and word is the New Jersey Devils are one of the teams that made his short list.

Excerpt via CSNNE:

The sense at this address: the Bruins, Sabres, Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils are the teams on Vesey’s short list with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a possible dark horse candidate after winning the Stanley Cup last spring.

Now, should Vesey make it to to August 15th unsigned you can assure all 30 teams will be calling for his services. There's potential a team not being mentioned could sway him to sign there. It's also not guaranteed - far from it, actually - he signs in New Jersey even if the Devils offer him exactly what he wants they are indeed one of the teams on his short list.

We'll have to wait another month to see how this all plays out but it's definitely a story worth following closely.

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