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UFA spotlight -- Ray Whitney

Ray Whitney, Slava Voynov

Phoenix Coyotes left wing Ray Whitney, right, tangles with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov, of Russia, during Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals, Sunday, May 20, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

AP

All week leading up to July 1, we’ll be profiling unrestricted free agents and speculating where they might end up.

Ray Whitney (LW)

Age: 40

2011-12 cap hit: $3 million

The skinny: Whitney, 40, finished tied for 12th in the NHL in points last season with 77. He was the Coyotes’ leading assist man with 53 and showed that one of the league’s elder statesmen can still get it done.

If there’s one thing Whitney brings to the table in free agency, it’s consistency. In the past four seasons, his point totals have been: 77, 58, 57, and 77 -- all those after turning 35.

At some point the gravy train is going to come to an end, but he’s the perfect candidate for a one-year contract with a contender in need of some offense. The Bruins have salivated over Whitney throughout the last two seasons and, depending on how things go in their hunt for Zach Parise, the Red Wings could take a shot at bringing Whitney back into the fold.

Yes, that’s right -- back into the fold. In case you forgot, the Wizard played 67 games in Detroit during the 2003-04 season, finishing with 14G-29A-43PTS.

More UFA spotlights

Ryan Suter

Zach Parise

Jason Garrison

Jiri Hudler

Justin Schultz

Shane Doan

Alexander Semin