Goalie carousel, big names highlight NHL free agency opening weekend

The best part about the Lazy Susan of goalie swaps is that it spans over both conferences, which should give us "goalie faces old team" stories for the bulk of the 2017-18 campaign. In addition, Chad Johnson returns to Buffalo on a one-year deal, and Jonathan Bernier heads to Colorado, where many think he will jockey for more playing time than he had last season with the Anaheim Ducks.

In looking at the most active teams on Day 1 of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks top the list. They had money to spend when the market opened and went ahead and spent it, penning Sam Gagner to a three-year contract worth $9 million in a move that could boost Vancouver's power play next season. That's good news, because the Canucks need any boost from last season.

They also added defenseman Michael Del Zotto and goalie Anders Nilsson during their active player pickup spree. The debate now is whether or not the team has actually improved, which, of course, we won't know until the season actually starts.

Much like the closing of last season's free agent frenzy, Kevin Shattenkirk was a big fish when the market opened on Saturday, but he wasn't out there for long, inking a four-year deal with a New York Rangers following a disappointing playoff end with Washington. (Although, to be fair, nobody on that team played particularly well ahead of the second-round exit.) The puck-moving defenseman was just one Capital to bid Washington adieu with Karl Alzner signing a five-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens and Justin Williams returning to the Carolina Hurricanes.

One team that did more subtracting than adding when the market opened was the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In the midst of all the fracas on Saturday, Pittsburgh saw Chris Kunitz, Trevor Daley, Ron Hainsey and Nick Bonino (more on him in just a minute) go to other teams. The reigning champs are reportedly not up against the salary cap and will now look to fill in a few holes due to the recent departures.

After sticking with the Penguins for six Stanley Cup Final games, the Nashville Predators entered free agency looking more appealing that ever. The Western Conference champs were busy Saturday, bringing back Scott Hartnell on a one-year deal and signing the former Penguin Bonino in a move that many believe can push the Predators that extra inch toward hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup. That is amazing in itself given that everyone was so sure they would be knocked out of the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks. While we're talking about Chicago...

The Blackhawks did their fair share of reuniting even before the market opened when they traded Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets for old friend Brandon Saad. The reunion tour continued Saturday as Chicago brought Patrick Sharp back on a one-year deal. The 35-year-old hoisted three Cups over his head during his last tenure with Chicago, so naturally his return to the team has been well-received (at least for now). Of course, the Hawks have plenty of competition out west to contend with.

Two of the biggest names on the market came out of the Pacific Division, as veteran San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau hit free agency. San Jose was particularly active on July 1, signing defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and starting netminder Martin Jones to lengthy contract extensions — not long before news broke that Thornton would be returning to Team Teal on a one-year deal. Marleau, on the other hand, remains on the market looking for a multiyear deal. He is one of the biggest names remaining in free agency.

Speaking of big-name players who have yet to find destinations: Where is Jaromir Jagr going to end up? It seems fairly certain that the 45-year-old won't be returning to Florida. But it is still a bit of a mystery as to where the Czech and his sweet mullet will land. While the list of available free agents is fairly lengthy, #JagrWatch will probably remain the big topic of the summer.