NHL Free Agents 2012: The 25 Biggest Names in Next Summer's Free-Agent Class

The summer of 2012 has one the best free-agent classes in recent NHL memory. There are many big names who will be unrestricted and restricted free agents.

There are young players like Zach Parise who are franchise-building guys, and then there is someone like Nicklas Kronwall, who is an older player but still capable of being a qaulity defenseman.

Pekka Rinne and veteran Martin Broduer are two solid goaltenders who will be free agents next summer, and both would help contending teams.

Let's take a look at the 25 top free agents for next summer.

Zach Parise

The New Jersey Devils would love to sign Zach Parise long term, but if he hits free agency, there will be many teams looking to sign the young forward, especially one with 40-goal potential in the prime of his career.

Ryan Suter

Ryan Suter is a fabulous young defenseman and will attract many suitors in free agency. He's very fundamentally sound and is a great all-around player.

Shea Weber

Shea Weber is arguably the best defenseman in the NHL, and the Nashville Predators tried to sign him last season but offered way too little.

The Predators have a choice between re-signing Weber, Ryan Suter, Pekka Rinne or a combination. They can't afford all three and Weber will likely command the most money.

Alexander Semin

Alexander Semin is constantly involved in trade rumors, but there's no doubting his offensive potential, and on most teams, he'd be a top line player.

A change of scenery may actually benefit him.

Nicklas Kronwall

With Nicklas Lidstrom nearing retirement, it's likely that the Detroit Red Wings will re-sign his Swedish teammate Nicklas Kronwall soon.

He's one of the most physical defenseman in hockey.

Jakub Voracek

Jakub Voracek was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, and was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal involving Jeff Carter back in June.

He is a restricted free agent next summer, and is a good young offensive player the Flyers will definitely want to re-sign.

Ales Hemsky

Ales Hemsky is a talented all-around offensive player with point-per-game potential, but his injury history could scare teams off from making a big contract offer.

Proving he's durable this season will be huge for him.

Brad Stuart

Brad Stuart is a very good veteran defenseman who can provide leadership and physical defensive play to any team.

It's unlikely he'll leave the Detroit Red Wings though because he's well liked by everyone in the organization.

Chris Kunitz

The Pittsburgh Penguins will try very hard to re-sign Chris Kunitz next season because of their lack of scoring depth on the wings, but he will be in demand if he hits free agency.

He can score 25 goals and plays with a physical edge.

James Neal

James Neal is a 30-goal type of player, and at age 24 years old, is already a quality player. He scored 21 goals with 18 assists last season and is a restricted free agent next summer.

He's definitely someone Pittsburgh will want to keep around for years.

Shane Doan

Shane Doan has played his entire career with the Phoenix Coyotes, and since he's their captain and well liked by the city and the fans, it's hard to imagine him leaving.

However, a contending team with a chance at winning the Stanley Cup may entice him to leave the desert.

Mikhail Grabovski

At just 27 years old with 30-goal potential, Mikhail Grabovski will be in high demand if the Toronto Maple Leafs let him hit the open market.

Pekka Rinne

Pekka Rinne had a great season last year, earning a Vezina Trophy nomination. Rinne could receive major money if he hits the market next season and would surely be this summer's Ilya Bryzgalov.

He has the potential to be a franchise goaltender for years.

Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur is one of the best goalies ever and has won three Stanley Cup titles with the New Jersey Devils, but since the Devils won't win another Cup anytime soon, he could leave in free agency next season and/or be traded this season.

A contender without a proven playoff goalie would take a shot on Brodeur in a trade or free-agent contract.

David Krejci

David Krejci is very important to the Boston Bruins offense and is the team's best playmaker and has goal-scoring ability.

Krejci is currently hurt with a knee injury which could be serious, which won't help him build stats for a huge deal.

The Bruins were likely going to re-sign him anyway, but they probably won't give him No. 1 center money.

Tuukka Rask

Tuukka Rask is a young goaltender who is very fundamentally sound and has already proven he can lead a contending team past the first round of the playoffs, all of which make him an attractive free agent option for any team.

The Bruins will almost certainly re-sign him; he is the goalie of the future in Boston. But how long will he want to be backup behind Tim Thomas?

Johnny Boychuk

A defenseman with good defensive skills and a rocket slapshot is always in demand, and Johnny Boychuk would be a great top-six defenseman for any team.

The Bruins should re-sign him, but they will not overpay, and it's likely some team will.

Cory Schneider

Cory Schneider is a very good young goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks and played well in the Stanley Cup Final versus the Boston Bruins last season.

Schneider is a restricted free agent next season, and it's unlikely the Canucks will re-sign him because they owe starting goaltender Roberto Luongo a ton of money for many more years.

Matt Carle

Matt Carle is a good defenseman with good passing skills and has dished out 68 assists the past two seasons.

He's certainly going to be a targeted unrestricted free agent next summer.

Mike Green

Mike Green is a good offensive defenseman for the Washington Capitals, but with his injury history and the fact he's already making more than $5 million this season, the Capitals might not re-sign him quickly.

They also have John Carlson and Alexander Semin to re-sign.

John Carlson

John Carlson is a very good young defenseman and will be a restricted free agent next season. It's unlikely that the Washington Capitals wouldn't re-sign him, but they also have Mike Green and Alexander Semin with expiring contracts next season.

PK Subban

Re-signing PK Subban seems like a no brainer for the Montreal Canadiens, since he's a top defenseman and can provide offensive numbers.

But the Canadiens need to re-sign goaltender Carey Price, who will demand (and deserves quite honestly) top-five goalie money.

The Canadiens only have about $1 million currently in cap space.

Carey Price

Carey Price is a top-five NHL goalie and is so crucial to the success of the Montreal Canadiens. However, the team currently has under $1 million in salary cap space and has no major contracts coming off the books next summer.

They have to re-sign Price and young defenseman PK Subban. If they had to pick, Price would be the guy to keep.

T.J. Oshie

If the St. Louis Blues don't make the playoffs, there could be some major changes in the organization next summer.

Young offensive weapon TJ Oshie is a restricted free agent, and if the Blues can't or won't meet his salary demands someone likely will.

Despite his injury history, he's a solid player to build an offense around.

Kris Versteeg

Kris Versteeg is a good player, but is he worth $3 million to the Florida Panthers who need better young talent?

He isn't, and some team would overpay for him. He's a restricted free agent next season but his rights could be traded.

For updates on all NHL news throughout the season, follow Nick Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.