NHL Free Agents 2012: Top 5 Players Available

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So the NHL's free agent "silly season" is in full effect and your team has lost out on the Ryan Suter/Zach Parise sweepstakes.

Fear not, for there are still plenty of great free agents still out there just waiting for a desperate GM to pick up the phone.

Here are the top five NHL free agents still available and not one of them will cost your team $100 million!

5. Andrei Kostitsyn

Andrei Kostitsyn
Charles Leclaire-US PRESSWIRE

The inconsistent but talented Andrei Kostitsyn finally wore out his welcome in Montreal last season before he was traded to the Nashville Predators at the deadline.

Reunited with his brother Sergei, Kostitsyn managed 12 points in 19 regular season games and added another four in eight playoff contests.

Kostitsyn may have to take less money and give more effort to stay in the NHL, but he could help a team in need of some secondary scoring.

4. Petr Sykora

Petr Sykora
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Petr Sykora played in all 82 games for the New Jersey Devils last season and still put up more points (44) than his age (35). At a salary of only $650,000, Sykora was one of the best deals in the NHL.

The question for the Devils—or any other team that wants to sign Petr—will be whether they want to pay a low price for a consistent veteran producer or bring in some new blood.

3. Jason Arnott

Jason Arnott
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In 1172 career regular season games, Jason Arnott has amassed an impressive 904 points and 1216 penalty minutes.

At age 37, Arnott still has some gas in the tank, but more importantly he can provide the type of leadership that many young teams in the NHL so desperately need.

2. Shane Doan

Shane Doan
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Shane Doan has played his entire 17-year NHL career for the Phoenix Coyotes, dating right back to his rookie year when the team was still known as the Winnipeg Jets.

Any NHL team that can convince him to leave his home in the desert will be getting a proven and consistent goal scorer and leader.

1. Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin
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Love him or hate him, Alexander Semin is the most talented player left in NHL free agency.

Carolina Hurricanes GM, Jim Rutherford, who is interested in signing Semin to a short-term deal recently said, "We wouldn’t want to get locked in to anything, because we’ve all heard the stories about him."

Whether it's Carolina or somewhere else, the question won't be what Semin brings to the ice, but how he affects the chemistry of the team.