from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

With so many of the league’s significant free agents scooped up on July 1, the opening day of 2014′s free agency, unattached impact players are suddenly scarce. Still, more than a few useful talents are out there and could fill important roles on teams with some salary cap space.

Andre Benoit
Age: 30
2013-14 team: Colorado Avalanche
Position: Defence
2013-14 cap hit: $900,000-

Why he’s worth a shot: The most productive blue-liner left on the board, Benoit led all remaining UFA defencemen in goals (seven) and assists (21) in 2013-14 and ranked second (behind Calgary’s Chris Butler) in ice time, averaging 20:21 per game. A professional who has bounced around the AHL, KHL, and elite league’s in Sweden and Finland, Benoit should be fuelled by his breakout season and could work on the second power-play unit. A nice left-handed shot on the second or third pairing.

Latest dirt: Don’t rule out a return to Colorado for Benoit yet. The Avs were keen to keep him before July 1 and need some defence to go along with all that firepower.

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