NHL Free Agents 2012: 1 Dream Free Agent Each Team Would Kill to Sign

After the trading deadline passes in a few weeks, NHL teams will have to wait until free agency in the summer to improve their rosters.

The class of 2012 is loaded with big-name players that will make free agency an incredibly exciting period in the summer.

Let's look at one free agent each team would love to sign in the summer.

Anaheim Ducks: Zach Parise

If the Anaheim Ducks trade Bobby Ryan or Ryan Getzlaf before the trading deadline this season, they will need another scorer in the summer.

Zach Parise is a free agent and probably won't re-sign with the New Jersey Devils. The Ducks need more scoring and Parise is someone who can give them that.

Boston Bruins: Shea Weber

The Boston Bruins are built on tough, physical defenseman, and no upcoming free agent fits that mold better than Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber.

Weber is one of the top three blueliners in the NHL, and will be a restricted free agent in the summer. The Bruins have salary cap space, and while they likely wouldn't spend it all on one player, Weber is a special talent that is hard to pass up on.

Buffalo Sabres: Chris Kelly

The Buffalo Sabres are pretty close to the salary cap and won't be in a position to make a major signing when they have several areas of their team to improve this offseason.

Chris Kelly of the Boston Bruins is an unrestricted free agent and would provide two-way talent and tremendous leadership to the Sabres.

Calgary Flames: Erik Johnson

The Calgary Flames need a young defenseman who has the potential to be a star long-term. Erik Johnson is a former No. 1 overall draft pick who has yet to realize his potential, but he is just 23 years old and is not someone to give up on.

Carolina Hurricanes: Matt Duchene

The Carolina Hurricanes need a young player who is already an established star but is someone who can still develop further. One player that fits that mold is Colorado Avalanche restricted free agent Matt Duchene.

Chicago Blackhawks: Evgeni Nabokov

The Chicago Blackhawks would love to trade for Evgeni Nabokov from the New York Islanders before the trade deadline, but the price may be too high, especially if Islanders GM Garth Snow doesn't want to part with Nabokov.

Signing Nabokov in the summer would be a cheaper fix at goaltender than trying to pry Tuukka Rask from the Boston Bruins as a restricted free agent.

Nabokov is a veteran player with a ton of playoff experience, which is exactly what Chicago needs between the pipes.

Colorado Avalanche: Alexander Semin

The Colorado Avalanche have some talented young centers in Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, but they could use another top-tier winger who can be a reliable goal-scorer.

Alexander Semin, an unrestricted free agent for the Washington Capitals, is a winger who could really help the Avalanche offense be more consistent. He would also add a veteran presence to a very young team.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Cory Schneider

Cory Schneider is a restricted free agent and is a talented young goaltender who is reliable against elite teams. He also has some playoff experience and played well in the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins last spring.

Schneider will be someone the Vancouver Canucks look to keep in the summer, but they already have goaltender Roberto Luongo under contract until 2022 at a salary cap hit of $5.3 million.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are desperate for a young franchise goalie, so they could look to pry Schneider from Vancouver.

Dallas Stars: Mike Green

The Dallas Stars need to upgrade their talent on defense, and Washington Capitals restricted free-agent d-man Mike Green would be a perfect addition to the Stars' roster.

Green is an offensive defenseman that would instantly improve the Star's powerplay, and with the Capitals having to sign him and John Carlson in the summer, they might not want to extend both blueliners long-term for big money.

Detroit Red Wings: Ryan Suter

Top-tier defenseman and future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom won't be an elite player for too many more seasons, so the Detroit Red Wings should start looking for his long-term replacement soon.

Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators is an unrestricted free agent who is a great, young defenseman who excels at both ends of the ice. With a good amount of cap space in the offseason, it would be surprising to see Detroit not make an attempt to sign Suter or teammate Shea Weber.

Edmonton Oilers: John Carlson

The Edmonton Oilers need too upgrade their defense and bring in a talented player who has already proven he can be effective at the NHL level.

John Carlson of the Washington Capitals would be a tremendous fit for the Oilers and is a young blueliner who still has good potential.

Florida Panthers: Johnny Boychuk

Johnny Boychuk is a physical defenseman who plays great in his own end but is effective on the powerplay with his booming slap shot. This two-way talent would be a huge help to the Florida Panthers, a team which is slowly building a tremendous roster that will compete for the playoffs now and in the immediate future.

Los Angeles Kings: Tuomo Ruutu

The Los Angeles Kings need some secondary scoring and signing a guy like Tuomo Ruutu would be a smart move.

Ruutu might be re-signed by the Carolina Hurricanes this week, but if he is doesn't finalize a new deal, he will be traded and will hit free agency in the summer. Ruutu is a goal-scorer but he can also add some toughness to the Kings' second or third line.

Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise

Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils is an unrestricted free agent and is from Minnesota, so the Wild are certainly a potential landing spot for him in free agency. Parise's dad was once a captain on the old Minnesota North Stars franchise.

The Wild are a team with a bright future, and would become an elite Western Conference team if they added an elite offensive player like Parise in the summer. Minnesota has enough cap space this offseason to make a significant offer to the young Devils captain.

Montreal Canadiens: Ales Hemsky

The Montreal Canadiens' top priorities in free agency this summer are to re-sign franchise goaltender Carey Prise and star defenseman PK Subban. 

After that, they need to add some scoring, and Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers would fit in well with the Canadiens because of his offensive skill and fantastic speed.

Nashville Predators: Chris Stewart

The Nashville Predators will do everything they can to sign free-agent defenseman Shea Weber (restricted) and Ryan Suter (unrestricted), but regardless of what happens with those stars, they need to add some offense.

Chris Stewart of the St. Louis Blues would be a quality power forward the Predators could certainly use.

New Jersey Devils: Josh Harding

Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild is a good goaltender and is an unrestricted free agent in the summer. With New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur possibly retiring after this season, the team will need to find a cheap replacement in net because of the financial hardships burdening the club.

Before this happens, though, the Devils will certainly look to re-sign Zach Parise.

New York Islanders: Ryan Suter

The New York Islanders need an elite defenseman to build around for years, and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators would be a perfect fit.

However, will he want to sign with the Islanders when they are years away from being real Stanley Cup contenders? Christian Ehrhoff didn't want to sign with the Islanders last summer so a trade for a defenseman might be New York's best way of improving.

New York Rangers: Zach Parise

The New York Rangers could go after a defenseman like Ryan Suter or Shea Weber, but with some good young blueliners already, the blueshirts will likely look to add some offense in free agency.

The Rangers need some more depth at left wing, and Zach Parise would be a massive signing for general manager Glen Sather, who has done a nice job in building a title contending roster.

Ottawa Senators: Ryan Suter

The Ottawa Senators struck gold with young defenseman Erik Karlsson, who leads all d-men in points and has progressed very well this season.

The Senators have multiple defensemen who are in their mid-to-late 30s, so signing a young star like Ryan Suter is certainly an option the team could pursue in the summer.

Philadelphia Flyers: Ryan Suter

Can you tell that Ryan Suter is going to be a wanted man in free agency? The Philadelphia Flyers might be the team that needs him most because captain Chris Pronger may never play again since having his season end because of a concussion. 

The Flyers need a top-tier defenseman to compete for the Stanley Cup, and it would be shocking for them not to show considerable interest in signing Suter this offseason.

Phoenix Coyotes: Mike Knuble

Is anyone going to be willing to sign with the Phoenix Coyotes when the team might not even be in Arizona next season and the ownership issue is a mess?

Probably not, but a veteran player like Mike Knuble may want to play hockey in a nice, warm environment like Glendale.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Mikhail Grabovski

It's a long shot that Mikhail Grabovski comes to Pittsburgh because it's likely he re-signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but if Sidney Crosby's future takes a turn for the worst, the Penguins will need another top-tier center.

The Penguins also need to re-sign rising star James Neal, who has become one of the better wingers in the NHL this season.

San Jose Sharks: Matt Carle

The San Jose Sharks could still use another young defenseman even though they traded for Brent Bruns in the summer, and if the Philadelphia Flyers don't re-sign Matt Carle before July 1, the Sharks should target him.

St. Louis Blues: Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin would add some goal scoring and speed to a St. Louis Blues team that could use some more offensive from their top lines.

The Blues have two fantastic goaltenders in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, so they have to upgrade the offense in the offseason.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Josh Harding

It's unlikely that the Tampa Bay Lightning would pry Carey Price from Montreal or Cory Schneider from Vancouver, but Josh Harding is certainly a goaltender who could help Steve Yzerman build a consistent winner in Florida.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Parise

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke would love to add an American star like Zach Parise, a player who the Leafs could build around for years. 

The Leafs' No. 1 need is a top line center, but their aren't any elite centerman worth spending huge money on this summer who are unrestricted free agents.

The Leafs could trade for a center before the deadline this season, but signing Parise in the summer would also be a smart move. Parise would thrive in the passionate hockey market of Toronto.

Vancouver Canucks: Shea Weber

Shea Weber would give the Vancouver Canucks a huge upgrade in toughness, which was something they lacked in the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins last season.

The Canucks need to find some more cap space to sign Weber, but he would be a player that would positively affect Vancouver at both ends of the ice, and would be a tremendous leader as well.

Weber is from British Columbia, and would be a huge success in Vancouver and the fans would immediately love him.

Washington Capitals: Shea Weber

Shea Weber would add some toughness and leadership to a Washington Capitals team that needs an upgrade in both of those areas.

Too many of the Capitals defensemen are offensive-minded and don't play well enough in their own zone. Weber is an elite player who will be a Norris Trophy candidate for a long time, and would be a great fit for the Capitals.

Winnipeg Jets: Teemu Selanne

Anaheim Ducks veteran winger Teemu Selanne is an unrestricted free agent who may retire from hockey at the end of the season, but finishing his career in Winnipeg, where it all began, would be something really special.