Puck Lists: Ranking every July 1st signing

You’re not going to find too many sensible signings on the first day of free agency.

That’s just not the way it works.

But there are still relative deals to be found on July — Canada Day to some people! — and there were plenty of ’em made throughout the day. Depth deals, big splashes, two-way contracts, doesn’t matter. If it got reported before 5 p.m., you’ll find it below.

Let’s rank all 105 of ’em! (Caution: There are lots of AHL signings in the middle of the list because they are of little to no consequence):

105. Matt Martin to Toronto

Four years? Can’t wait to see the Smart Leafs fans try to talk themselves into not-hating this one. Never sign a fourth-line player for term. Period.

104. Steve Ott to Detroit

Why not just burn $800,000 instead? At least that won’t make your hockey team worse. Just because you have the money to spend doesn’t mean you should.

103. Darren Helm to Detroit

Horrible contract. Don’t like the term or the money. Speed is a great thing to have, but separate this guy from Datsyuk and he’s not even a 30-point player or a possession driver. This contract is almost as bad as Abdelkader’s.

102. Jamie McGinn to Arizona

Yikes this is not a good deal. Drag on possession, only scores a little bit. And now he’s past his prime. No idea why he’s worth $3.33 million for three years.

101. Ryan White to Arizona

Not really an NHL player at this point, but he seems to be on a one-way deal. No thanks.

100. Justin Peters to Arizona

He was .896 in the AHL last year. Hard pass at any level.

99. Mark Fraser to Edmonton

Gotta add beef to protect the kids. He had 136 PIMs in the AHL last year!

98. Garret Ross to Arizona

Being a bad person doesn’t matter in hockey.

97. Jason Chimera to Brooklyn

I don’t know how you justify signing a 37-year-old for more than one year. And the price has to be inflated since he’s coming off a 20-20-40 season — a career high in both categories! — with Washington last year.

96. Jonas Gustavsson to Edmonton

Simply put, there are much better options out there. Don’t understand the need for this contract. At least it’s short-term, right? But in the end, there have to be plenty of lakes within driving distance of Edmonton where you can just throw in $800,000 instead.

95. Dale Weise to Philadelphia

I don’t see the need to sign a player like this for four years or $2.35 million per. He’s not worth either one.

94. Vern Fiddler to New Jersey

Another guy you kinda just forgot was still in the NHL, but the stats say there’s a good reason why: He wasn’t very good for Dallas last year.

93. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to Tampa

How is this guy still playing hockey?

92. Harry Zolnierczyk to Nashville

AHL signing, hopefully. If he’s on the NHL roster at any point, something has gone horribly wrong.

91. Boyd Gordon to Philadelphia

Wow, Boyd Gordon is still out there huh? He got caved in pretty much across the board this year in a purely defensive role, but I wouldn’t expect much to change there. Teams are better with him Boyd Gordoff. Well, bye!

90. Fedor Tyutin to Colorado

Just when you thought the Avs were making prudent decisions. Money isn’t a problem but “playing hockey” could be.

89. Alex Stalock to Minnesota

All indications are this kid just doesn’t have it any more. Save percentages of .902 and .884 as an NHL backup the last two seasons. You get better than that with an AHL call-up. Fortunately, he’s on a two-way contract.

88. Quinton Howden to Winnipeg

For me, no thanks. Not even as a part-timer.

87. Colton Sceviour to Florida

Not really a fan. Don’t really understand the contract.

86. Andrew Miller to Carolina

Looks like a decent enough AHL player, but at almost 28, that’s probably it!

85. Chad Nehring to Ottawa

I pride myself on knowing enough about a handful of AHL guys for every team, but this guy, I dunno. More career ECHL games than AHL, so there ya go.

84. Turner Elson to Colorado

AHL move.

83. Ryan Stanton to Colorado

And another.

82. Greg Carey to Philadelphia

AHL signing with basically no chance to crack the NHL roster.

81. Sam Carrick to Chicago

This is an AHL signing, plain and simple.

80. Gabriel Dumont to Tampa

Looks like a solid enough AHLer but that’s it.

79. Michael Bournival to Tampa

AHL deal. Potentially some upside but probably not.

78. Will O’Neill to Philadelphia

Decent AHL defender but no chance to make the NHL.

77. David Warsofsky to Pittsburgh

And in doing so, the Penguins continue to stockpile former Hockey East players.

76. Michael Blunden to Ottawa

The Senators have now signed like 1 in every 3 AHL players.

75. Phil Varone to Ottawa

Frankly…

74. Michael Kotska to Ottawa

…Who…

73. Casey Bailey to Ottawa

…Cares? (Okay, Bailey might be a decent-ish prospect, maybe.)

72. Victor Bartley to Minnesota

Occasional AHL call-up. That’s it.

71. Michael Chaput to Vancouver

Seems like one of those guys you can count on to put up 40 points in the AHL without fail. That’s probably his ceiling though.

70. Dustin Stevenson to Dallas

Pure AHL depth signing.

69. Christian Thomas to Washington

Occasional AHL callup and that’s it.

68. Andrew Bodnarchuk to Dallas

Potential seventh defenseman. Seems like it’s not a deal either way.

67. Darren Dietz to Washington

This is a half-decent No. 8 defender for a team.

66. Klas Dahlbeck to Arizona

The Coyotes stick with a bottom-pairing NHLer who might not even be that these days. Honestly, it’s not a difference-maker one way or the other.

65. Devante Smith-Pelly to New Jersey

Gotta fill out the roster somehow. New Jersey seems to be making exclusively depth signings.

64. Ben Lovejoy to New Jersey

Decent enough bottom-pairing guy. Not a fan of the money.

63. Chad Ruhwedel to Pittsburgh

A good AHL defender, probably. Might be a little more upside there.

62. A.J. Greer to Colorado

Left college in the middle of last season, was okay in the QMJHL. This is just due diligence.

61. Justin Falk to Buffalo

It’s the Justin Falk who couldn’t get regular minutes on Columbus’s blue line last year, not the good one.

60. David Backes to Boston

When this deal was first breaking it was allegedly short-term. Five years is not short-term. He’s fine now, but I’d be worried long-term. And he signed for the same money as Loui Eriksson, who is better than him. If the extra year was a sticking point for Boston, well, Backes is a year older. Yeah he’s a center and Eriksson isn’t, but I wouldn’t want my No. 3 center getting that kind of money.

59. Matt Lorito to Detroit

Bob McKenzie says they’re hoping he has a high ceiling. Put up a bunch of points in the AHL last season, and this is a two-year deal, so that could be a thing sooner than later.

58. Jarred Tinordi to Arizona

No-brainer here. Still not a great idea of what this kid is, but the ceiling should still be there.

57. Brian Strait to Winnipeg

Meh defenseman. Maybe a bottom-pairing guy.

56. Ian McCoshen to Florida

McCoshen probably isn’t NHL-ready but he was too good to play another year at Boston College, for sure.

55. Jeremy Morin to Tampa

I like that it’s a two-way deal. Gives the team flexibility. Morin might be a decent bottom-sixer in a good situation.

54. Joe Cannatta to Washington

Clear No. 1 AHL goalie who might be able to fill in as needed at the NHL level. Sure.

53. Michael Paliotta to New York

There might be something here, but it’s a wait-and-see deal for me.

52. Andy Miele to Philadelphia

Great AHLer, but now on a one-way deal. Wonder what he looks like when he’s an NHL player.

51. Daniel Carr to Montreal

Starting to look like a potential bottom-six NHL player.

50. Jamie McBain to Arizona

He might be an okay depth defender but anyone using him any more than that should be worried.

49. John-Michael Liles to Boston

Well they need defensemen, right?

48. Chris Stewart to Minnesota

Raise your hand if you forgot Chris Stewart was in the league. Somewhat useful, reasonable money, but nothing to get excited over either way.

47. Jeff Zatkoff to Los Angeles

Okay, sure. Fine.

46. Adam Clendenning to New York

Two-way deal for short money. He could be useful as an occasional No. 6 defenseman, but not much more than that.

45. Zach Trotman to LA

Trotman can play a little bit, and I bet things go better for him as a depth option on a team like LA than a team like Boston.

44. Patrick Eaves to Dallas

Perfectly alright.

43. Viktor Stalberg to Carolina

Well, it’s a warm body.

42. Joe Colborne to Colorado

He’s okay but I wouldn’t count on him to match his production from last year. The contract is fine.

41. Michael Latta to Los Angeles

I think he’s a pretty good bottom-six forward. Who knows what they expect out of him but he can play a bit.

40. Beau Bennett to New Jersey

Sure. He could be fine! But also, maybe not! Solid enough gamble at just $725,000 though.

39. Jon Merrill to New Jersey

They needed to keep all their other defensemen. Still room to grow here.

38. Mikhail Sergachev to Montreal

They must really like this kid. And they do need D help. Give ‘er a whirl for a nine-game tryout and see where you’re at.

37. Philip Larsen to Vancouver

Looks like they’re going to try to use him as a middle-pairing replacement for Hamhuis. Might just work out, too!

36. Kevin Connauton to Arizona

Probably a guy that deserves a bigger role. I like the deal here, especially if they find more minutes for him.

35. Anton Khudobin to Boston

The Bruins backup revolving door continues, but at least Khudobin is locked down at a reasonable price for the next two years.

34. Alexei Marchenko to Detroit

A D prospect who seems perfectly okay. Still no clarity on term as far as I’ve see, but he’s not bad and this should be a low-money contract. Not bad.

33. Brett Connolly to Washington

May he finally get a chance to succeed here with a smart coach on a good team.

32. Nathan Gerbe to New York

Could be a good fourth-line option, and certainly he’s better than Tanner Glass.

31. Tom Gilbert to Los Angeles

The wheels have probably fallen off for Gilbert at this point, but this is worth a gamble.

30. Zach Redmond to Montreal

It’s not exactly showering a guy with praise to say he was a positive relative possession player on Colorado, but he was, and that’s better than the alternative. I like this signing.

29. Shawn Matthias to Winnipeg

Seems like a useful third-line guy, honestly. Winnipeg doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, though.

28. Carter Hutton to St. Louis

Mike Johnson of Sportsnet called Hutton one of the best backups in the league, and it’s tough to disagree. Decent stats, Great In The Room. Everyone in St. Louis will love him.

27. Yannick Weber to Nashville

Good enough depth defender. Think they can get him to take No. 6?

26. Thomas Chabot to Ottawa

Could potentially get onto the NHL roster next fall, so it’s an economical deal.

25. Milan Lucic to Edmonton

This is a player I like, but he’s already slow as hell and now he’s signed for seven years at the same price point as Taylor Hall. Connor McDavid will likely prolong his usefulness at 5-on-5. Here’s a fun fact: Milan Lucic has just 20 career power play goals! And given that like half of his contract is in signing bonuses, it’s also buyout-proof!

24. Thomas Vanek to Detroit

Don’t hate it as a show-me deal, but you get the feeling dude is done.

23. Al Montoya to Montreal

Hey, a solution to that whole “We don’t have a backup” thing from last year. And only like seven months too late!

22. Jonathan Marchessault to Florida

I think this is a kid who can really play, and getting him at $750,000 is a good gamble for Florida for sure.

21. Dan Hamhuis to Dallas

Really like this deal for a not-good Stars blue line that lost some good players already this summer.

20. Michael Grabner to New York

Solid bottom-six player a good price point. I like it.

19. Andrew Ladd to Brooklyn

Money’s fine, term isn’t, just given his age. Good player, though. Should help the Islanders in the near-term.

18. Loui Eriksson to Vancouver

Like the player a lot, like the fit well enough, like the contract a little less than that. The contract is what Eriksson was getting anywhere, and he might fit in well with the Sedins (aging, useful Swedes who can play top-line minutes). Other than that, though, what’s the point? They’re still not a good team.

17. Frans Nielsen to Detroit

Another player I really like a lot, but any contract for big money where a guy will be 38 at the end of it is, perhaps, ill-advised.

16. Troy Brouwer to Calgary

I don’t love the player but given what everyone said he was going to get maybe this is the best anyone could have done. Four years is a little too long, and $4.5 million probably way too much, but he could be a useful enough depth player for Calgary.

15. Patrick Wiercioch to Colorado

This is a defender everyone should have been targeting, so for Colorado of all teams to win the sweepstakes is a little surprising given their, uh, organizational philosophy.

14. Matt Irwin to Nashville

Sneaky-good depth defense signing. As if Nashville needed more help on the freakin’ blue line, eh? Love the move to lock him up for two years instead of one.

13. Lee Stempniak to Carolina

Ah jeez you know I like this one fam!

12. James Reimer to Florida

Given the term and who they have as the starter right now, Florida has to be figuring on a 1a/1b scenario for the next season or two, and then maybe Luongo (who’s not getting any younger) calls it a career in another two or three years.

11. David Schlemko to San Jose

This is one of the best third-pairing defensemen in the league, and he can play some sneaky-good second-unit power play minutes. One of the better signings of the day.

10. David Perron to St. Louis

This is a useful player on a short-term deal at middling money. That’s what St. Louis needs.

9. Alex Radulov to Montreal

I think he can be a very useful top-six forward in the NHL, maybe even a top-line guy. The money’s not even as bad as everyone thought! Tell me more about this “character” problem PK Subban had, though.

8. Aaron Ekblad to Florida

In theory this is a great deal for one of the best young defenders in the league. Now what does he look like away from Brian Campbell?

7. Jake Allen to St. Louis

They got their guy for a decent number of years at what could be a very good number if everything goes as planned. Have to like what St. Louis has done in net.

6. Chad Johnson to Calgary

This is arguably the best pure backup in the league, and getting him dirt-cheap to play behind Brian Elliott is great insurance. If you’re worried Allen can’t go 60-plus, even having a 55-28 split probably works out. Calgary is now confidently deep in goal. Calgary is! Crazy.

5. Andrei Vasilevskiy to Tampa

So that’ll just about do it for ol’ Benny Bishop in Tampa, hey? This contract could soon look very smart.

4. Eric Staal to Minnesota

I love the money here — especially given that he was rumored to be seeking something well above the $3.5 million he actually got — and I think he’s still a useful No. 2 center. He’s never gonna be The Guy again, but this is a guy who can still play, bad stretch on Broadway aside.

3. Kyle Okposo to Buffalo

I’m a little worried about the term here, but that’s the price of doing business. And I’m a little less worried about the production away from John Tavares, but playing with one of Eichel/Reinhart/O’Reilly is a good fallback position.

This was the contract he was going to get anywhere, and the landing spot seems mutually beneficial.

2. Brian Campbell to Chicago

How much of a bargain in this? Campbell, a defenseman who deserves as much credit for Ekblad’s maturation in the last three seasons as anyone, reportedly left a $5 million, one-year offer from Florida on the table to move to Chicago, where he makes his home, and take $3 million less.

Campbell is still very, very good, and really shores up what could have been an iffy Chicago blue line at a low, low price point. Best UFA deal of the day.

1. Victor Hedman to Tampa

Slam-dunk best contract of the day. Steve Yzerman is sharking everyone else in the league. Bolts are well-positioned to be Cup-competitive for the next three years at least.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.