NHL Free Agents 2012: Carolina Hurricanes and More Teams Who Must Spend Big

Now that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are off the market, teams like the Carolina Hurricanes that haven't signed their top targets must be willing to spend money to strengthen their squad.

The last top-tier free agents that are still available will be pursued by many teams, so whoever offers the most lucrative deal may get their man.

Let's look at three teams who need to spend big in free agency.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes haven't been able to land any top targets in free agency and saw veteran defenseman Bryan Allen leave the team for the Anaheim Ducks.

Carolina still needs a top-four defenseman and a top-six winger for star center tandem Eric and Jordan Staal.

The best available forwards for the Hurricanes are wingers Alexander Semin and Andrei Kostitsyn. Their most logical target to upgrade the blueline is Pavel Kubina.

The Hurricanes have to make a big signing or a major trade if they want to reach the playoffs in the Eastern Conference next season.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have arguably been the biggest losers of free agency thus far. They weren't able to sign Parise or Suter, and they lost defenseman Matt Carle and forward Jaromir Jagr to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars, respectively.

Now the Flyers are hurting on the blueline and at forward, but the notable free agents available aren't that great. Shane Doan and Alexander Semin could be possibilities for Philadelphia, but both players have their risks.

A blockbuster trade seems more likely for the Flyers than an impact free-agent signing, but general manager Paul Holmgren has to do something for this team to reach the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.

New York Rangers

With a good amount of salary cap space and holes on the roster to fill, the New York Rangers should be an interesting team in free agency moving forward.

If Shane Doan were to finally leave the Phoenix Coyotes organization and seriously consider offers from other teams, the Rangers figure to be a team that the 35-year-old would certainly look at joining.

Alexander Semin is also a good fit in New York, but if general manager Glen Sather is going to make a major move for a goal scorer, then a trade for Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan seems more likely.

The Rangers will be a Stanley Cup contender again next season, but unless they add some more depth at forward, they will have a tough time winning a championship.

Follow @NicholasGoss35