Grading 5 key signings from Day 1 of free agency

The first day of the NHL's free agency saw flurry of franchise-altering decisions made and over $600 million spent.

Now that the biggest fish have been plucked from the pond, it's time to evaluate the moves and distribute some grades.

Milan Lucic: 7-year, $42M contract with Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers have mapped out a plan, and it's a familiar one. They have their generational talent in Connor McDavid, who's expected to take them where No. 99 once did. They were gifted a Finnish winger to complement him in Jesse Puljujarvi, and on July 1, they completed the trio by adding Lucic to patrol the ice protecting McDavid a la Dave Semenko with Wayne Gretzky.

Now, comparing McDavid, Puljujarvi, and Lucic to Gretzky, Jari Kurri, and Semenko is near-blasphemous, but it's almost too perfect of a coincidence.

One of the main differences in this generation's rendition is Lucic can score. The towering winger was brought to Edmonton to change the mantra on and off the ice, which he's ready to do. He's coming off a 55-point campaign, and if he plays with No. 97 all season, it's reasonable to believe he can set multiple career highs.

However, he's signed until he's 35 at a $6-million cap hit. Lucic could prove to be a slam dunk in his early years with Edmonton, but if the project fails and Lucic begins to decline, it could be another disaster in Oil Country.

Grade: B

David Backes: 5-year, $30M contract with Boston

Despite being the heart and soul of the St. Louis Blues, Backes should have no problem fitting in with the Bruins. Physicality has been a staple in Boston's style of play for decades, and Backes brings exactly that.

Signing Backes creates outstanding depth at center for Boston, grouping him with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci down the middle.

That said, Boston let Loui Eriksson - who was second on the team with 63 points last season - walk to the Vancouver Canucks. Eriksson, though he wouldn't provide much of a discount, is a more versatile and younger player.

It's doubtful Backes, 32, can continue to produce the way he used to as his career reaches its latter portion.

Grade: C+

Alexander Radulov: 1-year, $5.75M contract with Montreal

This was easily the most intriguing signing of the day.

Just days after Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin traded franchise cornerstone P.K. Subban, citing a need for character in the dressing room, he brought in a player who was chastised for missing curfew during the Nashville Predators' playoff run in 2012.

Radulov, supremely talented, claims to be a changed man, and enters La Belle Province as a low-risk, high-reward project for the Habs.

There's simply no doubting Radulov's skill, as he scored 238 points in his last 181 KHL games. If he's made an attitude adjustment, the third time could be the charm for the Russian in the NHL.

Even if the move blows up, the good news is it's only a one-year deal.

Grade: B+

Kyle Okposo: 7-year, $42M contract with Buffalo

Buffalo missed out on Steven Stamkos, but found a cheaper, reliable replacement in Okposo.

The 28-year-old will be thrust into an already talented Sabres top six. He'll produce points while adding veteran leadership to a fairly young core.

Whether he's on a line with Ryan O'Reilly or Jack Eichel, Okposo should have no problem fitting in, as he's coming off his third career 20-goal season.

Logistically, the term and value of the contract met Okposo's market, and it's a prudent move for the Sabres, who still have money to spend.

Grade: A-

Frans Nielsen: 6-year, $31.5M contract with Detroit

Like Buffalo, Detroit resorted to Plan B when Stamkos opted to stay in Tampa, but the Red Wings landing Nielsen to a lucrative contract lacks oomph, and quite frankly, sense.

Nielsen is a skilled player, but at 32, general manager Ken Holland gave too much term and money to a piece brought in to hopefully fill the void left by Pavel Datsyuk.

Nielsen is another veteran body in the delicate portion of Detroit's aging core, and has produced only two seasons of more than 20 goals. He can surely prove to have value, but tied in with the gamble of signing Thomas Vanek to a one-year deal and the peculiarly massive Darren Helm extension, it wasn't a banner day for Holland.

Grade: C