NHL Free Agents 2012: Ryan Suter, Matt Carle and Best UFA Defensemen Available

Nashville Predators star Ryan Suter is one of many talented defensemen who will be looking to cash in on their recent success once free agency begins on Sunday.

With the amount of attention paid to shot-blocking and physical play during the 2012 NHL playoffs, teams will certainly be looking to upgrade their blue line at all costs during the offseason.

Let's look at the best unrestricted free agent defensemen available. 

Ryan Suter

Suter is your typical No. 1 defenseman who contributes at a high level in all aspects of the game. However, he has played alongside Shea Weber for most of his career, which would make any blueliner look good.

It will be interesting to see how Suter plays away from Weber, and in a situation where he's the top defenseman on the roster.

He will likely earn anywhere from $7-8 million per season in free agency, and there will be many teams interested in his services. Suter's two-way game is one of the best in the NHL and he's only 27 years old.

Matt Carle

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Carle hasn't signed a new contract with the team yet, and he would be smart to test the free-agent waters. It wouldn't be surprising to see him earn a salary of $5 million per season in free agency.

He's not worth a $5 million salary cap hit, but desperate teams that need to upgrade their blue line will certainly think about making a lucrative offer.

Carle isn't a shutdown defenseman, but he can be reliable in his own end while also contributing offensively. He's capable of scoring 30-plus points every season and his 34 assists in 2011-12 were the second highest total of his career.

Bryan Allen

For teams not willing to spend $4 million or more on a defenseman but still wanting to add someone that can bring toughness and defensive intelligence to their team, Bryan Allen is the best choice.

Allen is an experienced player who can log a lot of minutes and even be effective against the opponent's top scorers.

He's also a durable player, evidenced by the fact he played in all 82 games last year and hasn't missed more than 12 games in a season since 2003.

Allen will be one of the under-the-radar signings that won't get a ton of press in the summer, but he will be talked about during the season and possibly the playoffs.

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