After big names these overlooked free agents could be helpful buys on July 1

Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd and Jason Demers are likely to draw some of the biggest free agent deals on July 1.

The next crop of talent, perhaps overlooked, can still be helpful to wily suitors on Canada Day. Here’s a look at eight potential pickups who aren’t making headlines heading into Friday:

Teddy Purcell

Position: Right Wing

Last season: 14 goals, 43 points, 51 per cent puck possession

Then in the prime of his NHL career and playing a lot with Steven Stamkos, Purcell got a rich three-year, $13.5 million deal from Tampa when he last entered unrestricted free agency. The Newfoundlander, who split last season between Edmonton and Florida, is likely to come at much cheaper price this time around. Though he’s not nearly as productive as his highest points with the Lightning, the 30-year-old is nonetheless capable of contributing in a depth role. Purcell has produced 12-14 goals and around 40 points in each of the last three seasons with positive puck possession numbers. He’s not a flashy signing, but one that could help in the right role.

Jamie McGinn

Position: Left Wing

Last season: 22 goals, 51 per cent puck possession, 9 power-play goals

McGinn has bounced around a bit over the past few seasons, lining up for the Avalanche, Sabres and Ducks after a lengthy stint in San Jose. Anaheim swiped him for a third round pick at last year’s trade deadline and McGinn responded with eight goals and 12 points in 21 games, often playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf and/or Corey Perry. Albeit with an inflated shooting percentage, the Fergus, Ont. native finished the year with a career-high 22 goals, including nine on the power-play. McGinn has pushed a 20-goal-pace in each of the past four seasons. He’s got good size, too, at six foot one and more than 200 pounds, a helpful potential addition on the wing.

John-Michael Liles

Position: Defence

Last season: 51 per cent puck possession

Liles’ career went through a serious rollercoaster after he signed a four-year deal worth $15.5 million with Toronto in the winter of 2012. Liles was waived, sent to the AHL, traded, and largely forgotten. But the American defender carved out a nice place for himself on a very young Hurricanes blue line in recent seasons. Liles lost favour under Randy Carlyle in Toronto because of supposed defensive weakness, but he was then and remains today an able puck-mover, a valued trait in today’s game.

David Perron

Position: Left Wing

Last season: 12 goals, 36 points, 53 per cent puck possession

Perron never quite fit in Pittsburgh and in mid-January the club shipped him off to Anaheim for Carl Hagelin, a transaction that helped the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup win. But like Hagelin, Perron, too, found a better fit with new club. He scored eight goals and 20 points in 28 games as a speedy depth winger for then-head coach Bruce Boudreau. A Sherbrooke, Que., native, Perron has long posted strong puck possession indicators, just turned 28 and has a decent goal-scoring background, including a career-high 28 goals three years ago in Edmonton. Perron could be a nice fallback option once the top wingers are off the board.

P.A. Parenteau

Position: Right Wing

Last season: 20 goals, 41 points

It looked like the Leafs might be Parenteau’s last NHL shot given his messy exit from Montreal, which saw him bought out after just one season. But Parenteau rediscovered his game under Mike Babcock in Toronto last season, with his opportunities on an increasingly youthful squad growing as the year wore on. The 33-year-old hit 20 goals for just the second time in his career, offering a veteran presence and some offensive creativity to the Leafs. He wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline, to much surprise, but this summer Parenteau is worthy of an opportunity in a depth role.

Darren Helm

Position: Centre/Left Wing

Last season: 13 goals, 52 per cent puck possession

Helm spent most of the last two seasons playing alongside Pavel Datsyuk, the former Red Wings great who recently announced his NHL exit. A fifth round pick of the Wings, Helm has long been an effective energy player, a speedy forward who occasionally finds the back of the net. In fact, the 29-year-old Manitoba native is a solid bet for 10-15 goals; he had 13 last season and a career-high 15 the year before that. He kills penalties and can line up either at wing or at centre, where he’s reliable on faceoffs.

Matt Martin

Position: Left Wing

Last season: 10 goals, 365 hits, 49 per cent puck possession

With long locks and a huge six-foot-three, 220-pound frame, Martin looks the part of the dinosaur fourth liner. The only difference is this 27-year-old can play in today’s NHL. Martin is easily the league’s most physical player. The leader in hits for five years running dished out 365 last season, or about four and a half per game. He’s also good for 8-10 goals, hitting career-highs in goals (10), assists (9), and points (19) last season. Martin was one part of a Islanders well-regarded fourth unit and there’s little reason to think he couldn’t fit in a similar role elsewhere.

Chad Johnson

Position: Goalie

Last season: 22-16-4, .920 save percentage

With projected starter Robin Lehner, Johnson got a chance to start for a bit in Buffalo last season and he performed pretty well after a terribly slow start. In fact, the 30-year-old held a .928 save percentage after a rough month of October and a .920 overall mark for the season. The market is not only thin for goaltenders this summer but thin as well for goaltending opportunity. Johnson, though, seems a good insurance policy in a backup role somewhere next season.