Winners and losers from Day 1 of NHL free agency

The frenzy never gets old.

More than 70 contracts were consummated in the first four hours after the NHL's annual summer signing window opened, according to CapFriendly, though some of the biggest names remained unsigned.

A deluge of deals came down before the biggest fish on the market was scooped up, and some of them were better conceived than others.

Here are some winners and losers from the first afternoon of this summer's free-agency period:

Winners

New York Rangers

It took about two-and-a-half hours, but the Rangers made the most significant splash, landing the No. 1 target, Kevin Shattenkirk.

Getting the offensively skilled blue-liner signed was a big enough win on its own, but landing him on a four-year deal rather than a five or six-year pact was the real victory for the Blueshirts.

He gives New York a productive power-play quarterback and bona fide top-pairing defenseman on a contract that could have been much worse.

Nashville Predators

The Predators made a couple of solid depth signings Saturday, turning back the clock by adding versatile veteran Scott Hartnell on an extremely team-friendly one-year, $1-million deal and picking up former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Bonino on a four-year, $16.4-million agreement.

The Hartnell deal was particularly savvy despite the 35-year-old's decreased production this past season, considering the Columbus Blue Jackets still owe him $5 million over the next four years after buying out his previous deal earlier this week.

Carolina Hurricanes

Reunited and it feels so good.

Justin Williams was one of a handful of players who rejoined former teams Saturday, and the Hurricanes did well by getting him to return to Raleigh on a two-year, $9-million deal.

Yes, he's 35, but he scored more than 20 goals in each of the last two seasons with the Washington Capitals, and his playoff prowess is well documented.

The up-and-coming Hurricanes should benefit from his experience, his nose for the net, and of course, his knack for timely scoring.

NHL general managers as a whole

If there was one major takeaway from the initial hours of free agency, it was that NHL GMs clearly learned from the blunders of years past.

Only a few of the contracts signed Saturday were unreasonable, cap hit-wise, and most of the deals were of the relatively short-term variety.

No free agent signed a contract of more than five years in length in the opening hours of the frenzy, as the majority of the agreements came with one, two, or three-year terms.

Whether it was due to the newly flat salary cap or the less-than-elite free-agent crop, or both, the trend toward shorter, more affordable contracts was clearly evident.

Losers

Winnipeg Jets

Yes, the Jets went out and got a defenseman and a goaltender, but both players come with big-time question marks.

Dmitry Kulikov was limited to 47 games this past season with a back injury that made him feel like an old man, as he told the Olean Times Herald's Bill Hoppe back in February.

He's 26 years old.

The Jets also addressed their goaltending Saturday, but Steve Mason hardly inspires confidence.

The former Philadelphia Flyers netminder posted a .908 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA while losing more games (29) than he won (26) in 2016-17. He's definitely capable of playing well for stretches, but it's been a few years since he's been reliable over a full season.

Montreal Canadiens

Marc Bergevin just loves making questionable moves.

This one certainly wasn't on the level of the P.K. Subban trade as far as controversial transactions go, but the Canadiens GM pulled off another head-scratcher Saturday, giving bottom-pairing defenseman Karl Alzner a five-year deal worth a reported $23.125 million.

Alzner is incredibly durable, and plays a stay-at-home style, but if the Canadiens are counting on the rearguard to consistently log top-pairing minutes, it could be a long season in Montreal.

Bergevin failed to address the Canadiens' biggest need, that being down the middle, coming away with journeyman Peter Holland rather than landing a much better center like Martin Hanzal.

The Canadiens GM could redeem himself in the coming days if he's able to sign Carey Price to an extension and get Alexander Radulov back on a reasonable new deal, but Saturday's moves left something to be desired.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)