NHL Free Agents 2012: Ranking This Offseason's Hottest Targets

The NHL's 2012 free-agency period is set to begin on July 1, and some of the best players in the NHL will be available for teams to sign during this period. Every year, teams spend money like it is growing on a tree in their owner's backyard. This year will be no different.

It is an exciting time of the year for teams that have the financial means to bring in new players. The prospect of being able to add a great player to a team's roster is very intriguing.

There is a nice group of players in the 2012 free-agent class, and there are some very high-profile names as well. It is time to examine who the most sought-after free agents will be.

7. Matt Carle

Matt Carle is a reliable, puck-moving defenseman who plays a two-way game. He is capable of playing as a partner on a shutdown pairing, as well as playing a role offensively, as he moves the puck out of his own zone well. He is also a threat on the power play.

Carle is a very consistent performer. He has played for the Philadelphia Flyers since the 2008-09 season. In that season, he scored four goals and tallied 20 assists for 24 points. In the 2009-10 season, he scored six goals and 29 assists for a total of 35 points.

In the 2010-11 season, he scored one goal and 39 assists for a total of 40 points. Last year, he registered four goals and 34 assists for 38 points. He has been remarkably consistent, and there is great value for teams in that dependability.

Carle is steady, and he will command a lot of attention from teams when July 1 arrives. He is a player that can be penciled in to play on a team's top pairing right away.

6. Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin is as enigmatic a player as there is in the NHL today. He can be a dominant winger at times, and at other times he looks like he really has no interest in playing.

Semin is a hot and cold type of player—a player who can score in bunches but will dry up as well. He has played for the Washington Capitals since the 2003-04 season. He amassed 38 goals in the 2006-07 season. He scored 34 times in the 2008-09 season and tallied 40 times in 2009-10.

Semin is going to get paid, as he seems to be the only pure scorer available in the 2012 free-agent class. Semin is 28 years old, and he is entering the prime of his career. He is looking to play more minutes and have a bigger role on the team he goes to.

Semin is going to play on a team's first line, as well as that team's first power-play unit. He has the ability to be a point-per-game player, but he does struggle with consistency.

5. Jason Garrison

Jason Garrison is a young defenseman who blew up during the 2011-12 season. He scored 16 goals and had 17 assists for a total of 33 points. He also scored nine power-play goals.

Garrison has a cannon from the point, and he can run a power play as well. He is also capable of playing a lot of minutes, as evidenced by his 23:42 time-on-ice average. His time on the ice has steadily risen in his four seasons with the Panthers.

Garrison is just starting to emerge for the Panthers, and he is going to draw a lot of attention from other teams because of his ability to man the power play and shoot the puck. Garrison gives a team some offense from the blue line, and in today's NHL that is a great thing. 

Garrison has the ability to fit into a team's top four defensemen, and at 27 years old, he is entering the prime of his career. Garrison is going to be a very hot commodity in 2012 free agency.

4. Shane Doan

Shane Doan is the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, and he is a nightmare to play against. At 6'1" and 228 pounds, he is a physically imposing player.

Doan has played for the Coyotes franchise for his entire career. He entered the league in 1995 and has played 16 seasons for the team. Up until the last three seasons, the Coyotes have not had much success, as they have advanced out of Round 1 of the playoffs only one time, in 2012.

Doan is a very gritty player who is on the downside of his career, but his leadership really can't be measured, as well as his ability to leave it all on the ice. Teams win in the playoffs because of a player like Doan.

Doan would be the perfect player for a team needing some grit, leadership and forecheck to take it to the next level. He should be a very sought-after player during this free agency period.

3. Justin Schultz

Justin Schultz has the most upside of any player in the entire 2012 free-agent class. He is young and has the skills to be able to play in the NHL right away.

He was originally drafted in the second round of the 2008 NHL entry draft by the Anaheim Ducks but did not sign a contract with the Ducks within 30 days of declaring to the NCAA that he was leaving school. This time around, a loophole will allow him to sign an entry-level contract with any NHL team on July 1.

He has had a great college career at the University of Wisconsin. He was named First-Team All-American for the second straight year. He was WCHA Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. He also led the Badgers with 16 goals.

Schultz has the ability to jump to the NHL in 2012 and contribute immediately. He is projected to be a future No. 1 defenseman and is going to get a lot of attention when free agency begins.

2. Zach Parise

Zach Parise could realistically top this list because of all of the things that he can do on and off the ice. Parise is a gifted hockey player and a natural leader. He is everything that teams look for, as he is the complete package.

Parise has proven that he is a top goal-scorer. In five out of seven seasons he has played for New Jersey, he has lit the lamp at least 30 times. In 502 career games, he has tallied 194 goals.

Parise is a great two-way hockey player. He is a player that can play against another team's top line and easily match up with them. He can also make dynamic plays with the puck and is a very dangerous weapon offensively. Not only can Parise shoot the puck, he can also distribute to his teammates.

Parise is easily going to be one of the most sought-after free agents in quite some time, and it is expected that there will be stiff competition for his services come July 1.

1. Ryan Suter

Ryan Suter is a leader-of-the-franchise type of defenseman. He has the ability to make all of the plays and can do just about everything on the ice. Suter is one of the best young defensemen in the game.

The 27-year-old is clearly a No. 1 defenseman and is entering the prime of his career. He averaged 26:30 of ice time in 2011-12 and put up a career-high 46 points. Suter has averaged 20-plus minutes per game for six seasons with the Nashville Predators.

There are many reasons to like Suter's game, from his ability to start a play from his own end, to his ability to make plays while moving the puck on the power play. Suter also has a very good shot, something that is overlooked. Suter can do it all, as he owns a very complete game.

Suter is the big fish in the 2012 free-agency period. Franchise defensemen are very hard to come by, and Suter is one of them. He is going to command a lot of attention—and money—when free agency opens on July 1.