NHL Free Agency 2016: Winners and Losers from Day 1

There was no Steven Stamkos and no blockbuster trades stealing the thunder from the NHL puck drop to free agency this year. 

There were, however, plenty of deals made. Some of them within minutes of the contract window opening—which sure makes you wonder how the dollars and term could be agreed upon so quickly and officially when neither subject is allowed to be discussed during the feeling-out process preceding it.

Regardless, Day 1 of NHL free agency 2016 started with a roar, and we're picking it apart to determine some of the winners and losers. 

With all the dollars tossed around, it's hard to believe the salary cap has gone up by just $1.6 million for next season. Some teams chose to stay out of the fray and make some value signings. Others went big for the top names on the market, and some of those will no doubt have buyer's regret sooner or later. 

Via the NHL.com 2016 Free Agent Tracker, Kyle Okposo is now a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Loui Eriksson joined the Vancouver Canucks, Andrew Ladd replaced Okposo with the New York Islanders, Frans Nielsen became a Detroit Red Wing, Mikkel Boedker went to the San Jose Sharks, and David Backes became a Boston Bruin. 

That's just the top seven names mentioned in the TSN list of the top 50 unrestricted free agents heading into Friday. Plenty more of them received deals on the very first day. Not all of them were pretty, either. 

There were also some big signings of future free agents, including Florida Panthers cornerstone defenseman Aaron Ekblad (via Sportsnet.ca) and Tampa Bay Lightning star Victor Hedman (courtesy of Sportsnet). 

How all these moves ultimately rate won't be obvious until all deals play out, but that's too long to wait when we're looking at a whole lot of seven- or eight-year terms here. So we'll just declare some winners and losers based on the day's events and early feelings, and you can weigh in down in the comments section. 

Winner: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Thanks to the last-minute re-signing of team captain Steven Stamkos this week (via TSN.ca), most wouldn't have expected Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman to be very busy on July 1. For one, there was no need to search for a replacement for the superstar forward.

Secondly, with $8.5 million tied up in the retention of Stamkos and a number of important contracts needing upgrades after next season, there just wasn't a lot of money to throw around in order to bring in new pieces. 

So instead of getting in on the insanity of Day 1 spending as free agency pelted us with new contracts stamped with hefty dollars and lengthy terms, Yzerman crossed one of those key internal to-dos off his list. 

Less than 48 hours after signing Stamkos to a long-term deal, the Bolts GM locked up cornerstone defenseman Victor Hedman for an eight-year, $63 million extension, per NHL.com, averaging out to $7.875 million per season. 

As a bonus, he extended goalie-of-the-future Andrei Vasilevskiy for another three years, per the team's official site. That almost certainly paves the way for big Ben Bishop to be traded for assets in the coming months. 

Dan Rosen of NHL.com isn't alone in thinking Yzerman is already the front-runner for GM of the year. 

Loser: Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin

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Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin better hope for more success on the ice this season, or he may be tarred and feathered in Montreal. He made the unpopular decision to trade away P.K. Subban this week, putting his efforts for the start of the free-agency frenzy on July 1 even more under the microscope. 

So after dealing away a guy who he figured wasn't a great fit for the Habs dressing room in Subban, he brought in a guy who was essentially banished from the NHL for years because of his immaturity. Bergevin's big move on Friday was signing Alexander Radulov away from the KHL on a one-year, $5.75 million deal. 

Remember how that boom-or-bust signing of Alexander Semin worked out last year? 

It might be different if Radulov was still a young player who matured overseas and was ready to return for his prime years. But Radulov is 30 years old, has been out of the NHL for eight years and is coming back at a time in his career when numbers traditionally decline. And the level of competition, with all due respect to the Russian league, is much more intense in North America. 

So even if Radulov is a mature man now and won't be a distraction in the locker room, he may not pan out. If his reputation proves to be true back in the big time? Well, the Habs will have made a horrible and hypocritical move in bringing him aboard after dealing away Subban. 

That concept provided one of the best tweets of the day courtesy of TSN 1200 radio's Ian Mendes, who said: "Trading Subban and signing Radulov is the equivalent of saying you want to cut down on carbs, then turning around and buying a bread maker."

Winner: Buffalo Sabres

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres made no secret about their desire to woo Steven Stamkos in free agency. They never got their chance with the big fish sticking it out in the smaller pond in Tampa Bay by re-signing with the Lightning on Wednesday. 

Give the Sabres credit, though. They went right to the next No. 1 on the most-coveted free-agent list and scooped up power forward Kyle Okposo, according to NHL.com, with a seven-year deal worth $42 million. 

Okposo will fit in nicely with the up-and-coming Sabres. The 28-year-old proved he didn't rely on New York Islanders center John Tavares for his production and will add a rugged dimension to the group of talented forwards in Buffalo. 

The addition either gives the team one of the most powerful one-two punches in power wingers with Okposo and Evander Kane on the roster, or offers the Sabres insurance if Kane's most recent trouble off the ice results in legal punishment and/or NHL discipline. 

It was a huge move for a team determined to improve quickly, and the fans there have to be loving the way owner Terry Pegula is opening up the pocketbook to do so.

Loser: Toronto Maple Leafs

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Like the Buffalo Sabres before them, the Toronto Maple Leafs had serious interest in Steven Stamkos. Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello admitted as much when rationalizing his start to free agency on Friday, courtesy of a tweet from James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail.

"We had interest in Steve Stamkos," said Lamoriello. "That did not work out. He's back in Tampa."

Unlike the Sabres, however, the Leafs didn't go out and add another of the shiny pieces available. No, they spent $10 million on fourth-liner Matt Martin (via SportingNews.com), formerly of the New York Islanders. 

Good luck finding someone who believes that price is a bargain for a player who averages 10:33 minutes per game, according to Mirtle, who doesn't think the analytics folks in Toronto were suggesting the addition was sound. 

Analytics writer Rob Vollman and Scott Cullen of TSN took different approaches in their tweets but suggested the same thing—Martin has been overpaid. Vollman doesn't even seem to think Martin was part of the best fourth lines in hockey, and Cullen used sarcasm to suggest the Leafs made a mistake with the length of the deal. 

Interestingly enough, Lamoriello indicted himself when justifying his lack of spending otherwise. 

"I don't see many contracts that were signed that were not too much money," he said in a tweet by Sportsnet's Chris Johnson. "I've said this year in and year out."

Winner: Calgary Flames

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

After doing a great job of addressing their greatest need at the NHL draft by trading for Brian Elliott, the Calgary Flames had two areas to improve heading into free agency: size up front and a backup goalie. 

They did just about the best job they could on July 1 by picking up Troy Brouwer and Chad Johnson from the open market, according to CBC.ca. 

And the prices were pretty great compared to some of the hefty price tags that marked the afternoon frenzy. 

Brouwer has been above or very close to the 20-goal mark for the past eight seasons, hitting 20 three times and scoring no fewer than 17 in that span. The Flames were looking for a right-handed shot for the right wing on the top line alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. If Brouwer plays with those talented linemates, he could find himself having a career season. 

Similar to the need Edmonton filled with Milan Lucic, the Flames get a gritty and hard-working veteran winger who should set the tone for the younger guys.

The Flames will pay the 30-year-old $4.5 million a year for four seasons, locking up one of the top 10 names on the market for decent term and reasonable dough. The Johnson signing may be even more impressive at $1.7 million for the coming year. 

The total the Flames are paying this year for their NHL goalies is coming in at half the price of the ineffective three-headed monster they went with last year with Karri Ramo, Jonas Hiller and Joni Ortio.

Loser: St. Louis Blues

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

The St. Louis Blues scrambled to replace their biggest recent departures in captain David Backes, winger Troy Brouwer and goalie Brian Elliott, and came away with David Perron and Carter Hutton. 

Yikes. 

They got little in return for Elliott when they dealt him to the Calgary Flames last week, and although they've now locked up Jake Allen as their top netminder with a four-year extension (via CBC.ca), former Nashville Predators backup Hutton doesn't provide the same insurance as Elliott did if their hunch about Allen is wrong or he can't stay healthy.

Hutton signed a two-year deal, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, at a total of $2.25 million over the term. 

Perron has been a man on the move ever since the Blues shipped him to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2012-13 season but returns on a two-year deal worth $7.5 million, according to NHL.com. He is a very different player than Backes, and as gritty as he plays for his size, he won't be mistaken for the former Blues captain anytime soon. 

The worst part about the inability (or rather lack of desire) to bring back Brouwer and Backes is that these two guys—along with Elliott—were the key players in the playoff success of the Blues this year. 

Winner: Brian Campbell

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This is one of the feel-good stories of the kickoff to the free-agent signing period. It's a clear example of a player picking his location over money. 

Former Florida Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell returned to the Chicago Blackhawks—the team he won the Stanley Cup with in 2010—for a bargain-basement deal that left millions of dollars on the table. 

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, Campbell took a significant pay cut and cap-friendly deal to head back to the Hawks, where he spent three seasons before joining the Panthers. 

Craig Custance of ESPN said the Panthers were willing to pay Campbell nearly $5 million for one more season to play alongside Aaron Ekblad. 

"It's where my heart is," Campbell said of Chicago, via Fox's article. "It's where I want to play."

The Blackhawks are winners here too. Campbell is 37 but still skates more than 22 minutes a game and netted 31 points this season. 

Loser: Boston Bruins

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

If David Backes is going to play center for the Boston Bruins, behind David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, how does it make any sense to pay him $6 million a season (via Sportsnet's Scott Lewis) for the next five years? 

Oh yeah, he's already 32, so that deal looks a lot worse as he approaches his 40s.

It's not that Backes hasn't been a good player with a lot of intangibles to like. He had a spectacular playoff this spring, and that certainly influenced the Bruins in going after the gritty forward who could also suit up on the wing on one of the top two lines. 

However, he scored only 21 goals and 45 points during the regular season and plays a heavy game that certainly takes a toll on the body, making you wonder when he might start running out of steam or becoming an injury risk. He hasn't scored 30 or more goals since 2011. 

Even if Backes stays healthy and contributes all he's expected to, the biggest team need was on defense, and the Bruins managed only to retain the services of a well-past-his-prime John-Michael Liles, via NESN.com's Zack Cox.

Winner: Edmonton Oilers

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers desperately needed to improve their image with the fans after trading away former first-overall pick Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson this week, via the Edmonton Journal. 

Although Larsson filled a need as a right-handed blueliner, the swap doesn't feel fair in the short term with Hall among the best few left-wingers in the league and 24-year-old Larsson coming off his first year in the NHL that showed promise. 

Tweets and columns reacting to the news looked a lot like this one from Down Goes Brown. 

So did the Oilers redeem themselves on Friday? Sort of. Well, yes, enough to be considered a winner in the PR world for the day. 

The Oilers signed one of the top names on the market, courtesy of NHL.com, inking Milan Lucic to a seven-year deal worth $42 million to replace Hall on the left side of the top line. Lucic is no Hall, but he does bring a different dimension to the game, and one the Oilers are in need of. Toughness, competitiveness and a burning desire to win at all costs are traits that describe Lucic and the team hopes will rub off on the rest of the players. 

James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reports that a dozen teams were after Lucic, so it's impressive that the big winger chose to join the team that perennially misses the postseason. 

Loser: Team Pocketbooks

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

A whole lot of money was tossed around when the free-agent frenzy began at noon ET on July 1—truly living up to its name and surprising a lot of people. 

As usual, a tremendous number of NHL teams opened up the wallets for players they coveted and forked over way too much money over an exorbitant number of years. They do this thinking it will help them win the next Stanley Cup. 

Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun pointed out teams spent $335 million in the first hour of the window opening. That, according to Chuck Gormley of CSNmidatlantic.com works out to $5.58 million per minute. 

You have to wonder if some general managers care little about the long-term impact, leaving the mess for future GMs to clean up, as astutely suggested by NHL.com's Chris Stevenson on Twitter.  

Winner: Paul Bissonette

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Here is your bonus winner today, and it's someone who has virtually no chance of being signed despite being eligible as an unrestricted free agent. 

Paul Bissonnette, former NHL enforcer, was entertaining as heck on his infamous Twitter feed, @BizNasty2point0. He took us through a faux adventure of free agency as an unwanted but very available hockey player, pleading with Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford before turning his attention to the Nashville Predators. 

Before heading out on vacation, TSN insider Bob McKenzie made sure to point out Bissonnette's timeline. 

Who knows, maybe it will pan out.

Stats via NHL.com.