When news broke out earlier this week that Jimmy Vesey‘s camp gave notice to Nashville Predators General Manager Dan Poile that he would not sign with the team and instead test free agency, where he could sign anywhere he pleased, the thought immediately came to the mind of plenty of Canadiens fans; the Montreal Canadiens should target Jimmy Vesey.

A 22-year-old left-shooting winger out of Massachusetts, Vesey has spent the last four years with Harvard University of the ECAC, priming himself to move to the pro league, but it seems he will not be doing so with the team that drafted him in the third round, in 2012, and Poile is furious of the decision. “Up until last Wednesday, I thought we were going to sign Jimmy Vesey, so this is a shocker,” Poile stated to the media, earlier this week. “Allow me to confirm that we offered Jimmy a spot in our top-six, playoff time, and a chance to burn a year on his ELC.”

In 33 games this year with Harvard, Vesey recorded 22 goals and 24 assists for 46 points, well over a point-per-game but a step down from his production from last season where he recorded 32 goals and 26 assists in 37 games.

The logistics of acquiring the services of Vesey in Montreal won’t be an easy task. There are a few options that could be brighter for the promising prospect. In Boston, Vesey would be right at home, playing in his own state and lacing up the black and gold, a team he cheered for as a child. Then again, Toronto has his father under employment and could use him as a bargaining chip to sign his son to a contract, and his brother, Nolan, was drafted by the Leafs. In fact, most experts and pundits have Vesey signing with either the Maple Leafs or the Bruins.

However, the Canadiens have a few qualities going for them as well. As of today, the Habs have just under $8 million in cap space, and the likes of Mike Brown, Victor Bartley, Tom Gilbert, Ben Scrivens and John Scott will open up another $7-8 million, as well as freeing up some contract spots as well. With ample cap room, Bergevin could get himself into a bidding war and have good odds at beating out a few other interested GMs. There’s also the opportunity for top-six minutes, as the Canadiens have a few holes to plug up, evident by the lack of depth showcased by the team this season. It also gives Bergevin the chance to redeem himself after consistently missing out on big names during free agency and trade deadline, often opting to acquire questionable assets on second-chance terms (i.e. Devante Smith-Pelly, Phillip Danault, Stefan Matteau).

Luckily for Montreal, they have an ace in the hole when it comes to signing Jimmy Vesey; Chris Nilan.

Nilan, a former Montreal Canadien and Stanley Cup winner, hosts an afternoon show on Montreal’s TSN 690 and had quite a few things to say. Among some of the eye-opening statements, Nilan professed his loyalty to the Vesey family, says he believes in them and takes their side if he had to believe one party (Vesey or Poile), and would recommend that Bergevin be in on the Vesey sweepstakes. “Should the Canadiens be in on him? Yes,” Nilan said, earlier this week.

Pierre McGuire joined TSN 690 as well this week, and expressed how offensively-gifted Vesey is and that whichever team obtained an asset like him would be walking away a better team immediately.

What would the Canadiens get in Jimmy Vesey? A potential 20-goal scorer with a 6’3, 200 pound frame. With skill, size and goal-scoring ability, it sounds like he is the asset that Marc Bergevin should covet, given he won’t have to give up any assets in return if he signs him as a free agent. The only problem with this situation is that 29 other teams will be interested in his services, including Nashville, who will want to retain their highly-touted prospect.