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This year, NHL free agent frenzy lived up to the hype.

After a wild first hour of the free agent signing period, most of the big names (Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd, Kyle Okposo, and many more) had settled on new homes for next year. By the end of the day, NHL GMs had executed a dizzying array of signings:

With all the contracts now trickled in, final tally for July 1 is 144 contracts, $204,887,456 in cap hits, $661,674,124 total committed. — General Fanager (@generalfanager) July 2, 2016

Sure, many of the 144 contracts were depth adds that don’t cause a ton of excitement (think Al Montoya to backup Carey Price in Montreal, or Tom Gilbert to play bottom-pair minutes for the LA Kings’ defense). But there were a handful of really strong signings made yesterday.

And, as usual, a few brutal choices too, but that’s a different article.

Here, we’re highlighting three signings by teams that were excellent in some way — great value for an underappreciated player, reasonable term length for an mid-prime talent, or a wise gamble on a player that is primed for a strong showing in 2016-17.

#3 – Eric Staal, C – Minnesota Wild ($3.5 mil, 3 yrs)

The stereotypical “big-bodied center”, Staal’s stock dipped after he was dealt to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. Prior to leaving the Carolina Hurricanes, Staal had been part of one of the league’s most underappreciated possession lines and his full-season stat profile tells that tale.

Staal posted a strong Corsi For percentage and his relative Corsi For percent was also a strong positive. Better still, Staal posted an individual Corsi For rate above the league average for forwards. That means that Staal individually generated shots that contributed to his strong possession rates.

The goals for percentage wasn’t sharp (approximately 48 percent) but Staal’s expected goals for mark was clearly above the break-even line (50 percent). His poor showing here can likely be attributed to subpar goaltending in Carolina.

Staal’s even strength primary points rate wasn’t fantastic either (below league average for forwards).

Still, only 31 years old, Staal’s three-year contract at $3.5 million per year is very fair value. Staal remains a plus possession player, an plus player in xGoals For percentage, and generates the level of individual attempts needed to bump up his primary points rate in the right situation.

Heck, the average NHL skater earns $2.6 million per year. It’s easy to imagine Staal’s deal looking like a steal next season.

#2 – Brian Campbell, D – Chicago Blackhawks ($2 mil, 1 yr)

Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is never fully trapped. Suffering under his annual off-season cap crunch, Bowman pounced on former Panthers rearguard Brian Campbell, securing a highly capable defenseman to round out the Blackhawks’ top-four next season.

Campbell’s skill set runs deep. His puck possession rates are nigh unbelieveable. His goals for percentage was incredible. And his 5-on-5 primary points rate nosed just ahead of league average for a defenseman.

He no longer directs pucks on goal himself but his passing and puck management are still top-notch. And Campbell’s yet to slow down, logging almost 1500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time last season.

In short, Bowman’s worked a little magic here. $2 million for one year with the still-strong Campbell solves some of the financial troubles that Bowman somehow navigates through every summer.

#1 – Jason Demers, D – Florida Panthers ($4.5 mil, 5 yrs)

The Florida Panthers are in the midst of an inspired offseason. They re-signed Jaromir Jagr and Aaron Ekblad, brought in Keith Yandle, Mark Pysyk, and James Reimer, and added key depth to the forward corps.

Yet, the best addition of the Panthers’ offseason is Jason Demers. The 28-year-old blue liner signed for a very reasonable $4.5 million cap hit for five years. His possession rates were strong last season in Dallas and he contributed to his own possession totals with an above-average rate of shots.

His goals for percentage was strong, though it could have been better, and his 5-on-5 primary points work is comfortably above league average.

The Panthers are for real and they’ll be an issue for teams in the Eastern Conference next season.

Honorable mentions: Patrick Wiercioch (D, Colorado), Shane Prince (F, NYI), and Alex Radulov (F, MTL. Just kidding. Sort of.)

Feel free to peruse the other signing cards I’ve created here. I’ve yet to catch up with every signing but feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@SeanTierneyTss) if there’s a player chart you’d like to see.

NHL Free Agent frenzy: The best signings so far