NHL Free Agency Winners and Losers After Day Two

The power brokers in the NHL were doing a lot of holding their breath and waiting as Day 2 of free agency came to a close.

There had been a flurry of activity on July 1, and the signings continued Monday, but the stars of this year's free agency signing period were still biding their time.

Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators had not made up their minds. They were mulling over offers and not in any hurry to decide where they would play the next phases of their careers.

However, some of the other big names had made their moves, and while the final grades are not in, here's a look at the winners and losers after two days of free-agent movement.

Winner: Dallas Stars

The Stars are tired of finishing on the outside and looking in. They have missed the postseason four straight times, and general manager Joe Nieuwendyk is all about reversing that situation.

He has signed forward Ray Whitney from the Phoenix Coyotes (via ESPN.com) and defenseman Aaron Rome from the Vancouver Canucks (via Fox Sports).

He followed those first-day signings by trading edgy center Steve Ott to Buffalo for slick center Derek Roy (via ESPN). Defenseman Adam Pardy also went to Buffalo in the deal.

One way to look at that trade is that the Stars moved a tough, all-around forward for a finesse player. Roy has reached the 81-point mark in his career, and his presence fills a need for a top-six center.

Roy is coming off a disappointing 44-point season with the Sabres. A change of environment could return him to top form.

Whitney is a finisher who had 77 points last season. A veteran scorer might help the Stars get back into the playoffs.

They were in contention until the last week of the season before getting beaten out for the No. 8 spot by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. 

Winner: Montreal Canadiens

General manager Marc Bergevin knows that 15th place is completely unacceptable for the Montreal Canadiens.

Let's face it. Many Montreal fans have no tolerance for losing, rebuilding and any of the other phrases that mean not bringing home the Stanley Cup.

Of course, the Canadiens haven't raised the Cup since 1993. They are probably a long way from winning. But Bergevin has brought in free agents like Brandon Prust from the New York Rangers, Francis Bouillon from Nashville and Colby Armstrong from Toronto (via the Montreal Gazette).

Prust was a decent contributor to New York's first-place effort last season even though he only had 17 points. However, he brings energy and a feisty nature. According to the Montreal Gazette, Prust led the NHL with 20 fights last season.

The same holds for Bouillon and Armstrong. Bouillon is a solid defensive defenseman, and he is not going to allow the Canadiens to get pushed around.

The Canadiens also re-committed to Carey Price (via NHL.com) as the team and the goaltender agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract.

Winner: Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche were not a playoff team in 2011-12, but they were not that far away from earning a spot in the postseason. The Avs finished seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference.

That means there's still work to be done but that a playoff spot is within reach. The Avs made a nice move by signing forward P.A. Parenteau away from the Islanders to give their offense a bit more punch (via ESPN).

Parenteau is coming off a 67-point season with New York and his career appears to be on the upswing. In addition to his all-around game, he has solid power play skills. He has scored 15 goals with the man advantage over the past two seasons.

For his part, Parenteau told the Denver Post that he is excited to come to the Avalanche because of the team's core of young talent.

The Avs also signed defenseman Greg Zanon, who split time last year with the Minnesota Wild and the Boston Bruins. Zanon is a stay-at-home defenseman who can play a smart and physical game.

Another addition (per the Chicago Tribune) is center John Mitchell, who will provide depth and a decent stick in the faceoff circle. He won 51.3 percent of the draws he took with the New York Rangers last year.

Winner: Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are desperate to get back to respectability in the NHL and they have a lot of work to do. They took their first step when they signed former Detroit Red Wings center Jiri Hudler to a four-year, $16 million contract (via ESPN). Hudler scored 25 goals last year and added 25 assists.

Hudler has speed and quickness, but general manager Jay Feaster has to be concerned about signing a Czech player to play in a Canadian city that prides itself on nationalism (via Calgary Herald). Feaster said that his job is to bring in the most talented players he can find, and a player's nationality can't be an issue.

The Flames are going to use Hudler on the power play, in short-handed situations and taking a regular shift. Hudler only played 53 seconds of penalty kill last year, but the Flames believe he is about to flourish into an upper-echelon player and can contribute in all phases of the game.

Winner: Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers won the draft when they selected explosive Nail Yakupov with the No. 1 pick.

They made a splash in free agency when they signed young free-agent defenseman Justin Schultz, a talented blue liner from the University of Wisconsin.

Schultz was a free-agent because he was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008 and he never signed a contract with the Ducks. As a result, Schultz became a much sought-after free agent, and he signed with the Oilers (via Yahoo! Sports).

Additionally, the Oilers have brought back veteran left wing Ryan Smyth (via ESPN). The hard-working Smyth gets the most out of his physical ability and always goes to the dirty areas in front of the net to make plays. He scored 19 goals and had 27 assists last season and had 82 penalty minutes.

The big prize is Schultz. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal believes that Schultz is skilled at carrying and shooting the puck and projects to be a top-four NHL defenseman.

Loser: New Jersey Devils

The Devils took a positive step on the second day of free agency when they re-signed their goalie tandem of Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg (from The Star-Ledger). Brodeur signed a two-year, $9 million deal while Hedberg inked a two-year, $2.8 million deal.

However, free-agent prize Zach Parise remains on the market. Unless he decides to return home to the Devils at a hometown discount, Parise will leave the Devils without their best all-around player. It would be difficult to see this team getting out of the first round if Parise were to move on.

At the start of free agency, it seemed like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild and the Detroit Red Wings would be the main players. However, the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers are also in the fray (via philly.com). Parise is likely to be considering offers in the $100 million range from all of them.

While the Devils have not lost Parise yet, the uncertainty about his future hurts the franchise.

Loser: Nashville Predators

Could the dismantling of the Nashville Predators be at hand?

The dominoes could fall if and when Ryan Suter signs a free-agent contract and leaves Nashville. The Preds tried to head that off by offering Suter a major deal on July 1 and hoping that Suter would sign it quickly, according to The Tennessean. He did not, and he remains on the open market.

The Predators have already seen forward Jordin Tootoo sign with the Detroit Red Wings (per the Detroit News) and winger Alexander Radulov head back to Russia (per the Chicago Tribune). If and when Suter signs with another team, expect opposing general managers to come calling.

They will ask about Shea Weber, the Preds' other all-star defenseman. Weber is known for his blistering slap shot, and he would be a very valuable performer for any team that considers itself a contender.

It could be a long, sad summer in Nashville.

Loser: Phoenix Coyotes

The uncertain future around the Phoenix Coyotes is having a negative impact on the team's personnel.

As previously mentioned, sharp-shooting winger Ray Whitney sprinted away from the desert and signed a free-agent deal with the Dallas Stars. Power forward Shane Doan is next on the list and could leave at any time.

However, there is a chance that Doan could remain with the Coyotes, and he may wait until July 9 or beyond to make his decision. Doan wants to see what happens with Greg Jamison's ownership bid, and July 9 is the likely decision day on that issue. However, the Arizona Republic reports that the issue could take longer.

The Coyotes got some good news on the second day of free agency when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reduced Raffi Torres's 25-game suspension to 21 games (via The Globe and Mail). Torres was suspended during last spring's playoffs for his vicious hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa.

Loser: Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are sitting this one out.

They re-signed restricted free-agent goalie Tuukka Rask, but that was expected (via boston.com). However, when it comes to adding talent through free agency, the Bruins are not interested.

General manager Peter Chiarelli knows he has a talented roster with players like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Tyler Seguin. Young defenseman Dougie Hamilton has an excellent chance of joining the team if he can make a strong showing in training camp.

But that doesn't mean the Bruins don't have weaknesses. The Bruins struggled on the power play in the 2011 Stanley Cup run and again in last year's playoffs. They could have kicked the tires on the Islanders' P.A. Parenteau, who has scored 15 power play goals over the last two seasons. They didn't.

The Bruins' roster is solid. But sitting back and doing nothing could lead to regret by the time the 2012-13 postseason is over.

Loser: Buffalo Sabres

There's a general perception around the NHL that the Buffalo Sabres lack toughness.

That's a perception that Sabres' general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff would not argue against. That's why the Sabres traded former high-scoring center Derek Roy to the Dallas Stars Monday for rough-edged center Steve Ott.

The Sabres also signed free-agent forward John Scott, a 6'8" behemoth who specializes in doing out justice with his fists (via wgrz.com). Scott played with the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers last season.

It's one thing to address the toughness factor. That's something that has to be considered when you play in the same division with the Boston Bruins. The Montreal Canadiens have added muscle, and so have the Sabres.

But the object of the game is to put the puck in the net and score more goals than your opponents. By making the move for Ott and getting rid of Roy, the Sabres will lose much of their playmaking and scoring ability.

Buffalo News columnist Bucky Roy pointed out that Ruff and Roy did not have a great relationship, and a trade was needed. But opting for toughness instead of skill may lead the Sabres to regret the move.