Right up until this afternoon, as the NHL's free agent signing period nears its 100th hour, the talent pool will still be pretty deep. The Canadiens could darned near build an All-Star team, if allowed to roll back the clock a few years, with players who were still available going into Saturday night.

How's this for a power play: Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Robert Lang up front with Patrice

Brisebois and Mathieu Schneider manning the points. A few years ago, all five and Alex Tanguay

would have been snapped up and given handsome contracts in nothing flat, but all were still

looking for work.

It has made for a few days in which free agency has been, well, somewhat boring.

The reason comes down to the basic laws of supply and demand, simple NHL economics. The

league is heavily stocked with veterans who grew accustomed to making big bucks that were

commensurate with their skill. Unfortunately, there haven't been many places to put them while

adhering to the NHL's $56.8 million salary cap.

They can do little but wait for teams to buckle to the pressure around them, wait for the

Rangers to make another mistake, or start embracing the idea that they'll need to accept less

while still making pretty pennies. Common sense suggests their leverage, along with their

price tag, decreases every day they spend on the sidelines without an offer.

It's not to say the Habs will be hurting, of course. They were busy reloading a roster that

all but imploded after the All-Star break last season. We'll see whether the new faces can

create better chemistry and ultimately make Montreal a stronger team. Sometimes, shuffling the

deck leads to a jackpot, sometimes it makes for a bust.

Every team still has needs, even the Stanley Cup-winning Penguins and perennial powerhouse

Red Wings, but addressing them comes with a price. General managers who fear getting stuck in

the muck if the cap goes down next summer will spend the next month or so scrounging for

jewels at garage sale prices.

Today, we'll take an early peek at the winners and losers through the first three-plus days

of free agency.

Winners

Calgary: GM Darryl Sutter aggressively traded for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester, the

best defenseman available. The move paid off. Bouwmeester signed a five-year deal worth $33.4

million before hitting the open market, where he likely would have received more. He improves

a blue line that already included Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich. The Flames lost

center Mike Cammalleri, but they picked up Olli Jokinen last season. Banger Fredrik Sjostrom

comes over from the Rangers. Bouwmeester makes up for departed defensemen Jordan Leopold

(Florida) and Adrian Aucoin (Phoenix), both of whom are older. Big question: Do they

have enough offense?

Chicago: Marian Hossa gives them a superstar at left wing on a team loaded with

talent up front. His 12-year deal for $62.8 million should be viewed as a six- or seven-year

deal with a buyout, but for now it helps them manage the salary cap. John Madden is still

solid in the middle and gives them another stopper with Patrick Sharp. Thomas Kopecky was a

role player in Detroit and should get a better opportunity to produce in Chicago. The

Blackhawks look good today, but their spending is bound to catch up to them next summer when

contracts expire for Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, among others. Big

question: Will goaltending hold up?

Vancouver: The Canucks' best move was keeping the Sedin twins, who signed identical

five-year, $30.1 million contracts when it appeared they could be headed elsewhere. Playing in

the Twin Cities would have been fitting. The Canucks also grabbed Mikael Samuelsson, a solid

third-line player for Detroit who was good for 15-20 goals and 40-45 points. He was a plus-49

over four years with the Red Wings. They will need to find a defenseman after losing Mattias

Ohlund to Tampa Bay, and they were nearly $10 million under the cap. Big question: Do

they have enough scoring depth?

Montreal: The decision to acquire overpaid center Scott Gomez made little sense

until they signed winger Brian Gionta. The two had good chemistry when they played in New

Jersey. Cammalleri will need to justify his five-year deal for $30 million, but he's a younger

replacement for the aging Koivu. The Habs still have room under the cap to sign Kovalev and

Tanguay, if they choose, or they could dip back into the market. Hal Gill is still slow but he

did win a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. They paid too much for Jaroslav Spacek. Big

question: They were busy, but are they better?

Losers

Ottawa: The Senators were prepared to make several moves but were being held hostage

by malcontent winger Dany Heatley, who has become a whiny diva. He's Exhibit A for teams not

giving no-trade clauses. The Sens' big signing was — Chris Neil? Ottawa still needs

defensemen and lacks depth up front. If they can get a solid return in a Heatley trade and

dump his money, they would have more options. Good news: With or without Heatley, they

still have playoff-caliber talent.

Buffalo: OK, they weren't geting Bouwmeester for various reasons. Still, it would

have been nice if they took a run at another top-end defenseman. Their biggest obstacle, it

appears, is recruiting. Mike Komisarek would have been a good fit. Rob Scuderi signed with Los

Angeles for a reasonable salary. The Sabres settled for Steve Montador. He works hard and

plays harder, which will be appreciated in Buffalo, but they still need a puck-mover along the

blue line. Good news: They're in position to make trades.

New Jersey: It's not often GM Lou Lamoriello is second-guessed, but the Devils so

far have lost much more than they've gained. Gionta and Madden were major parts of their core.

Backup goalie Scott Clemmensen split for a better opportunity in Florida. He was terrific when

Martin Brodeur was injured. Michael Rupp took his big body and toughness to the division-rival

Penguins. Good news: They kept defenseman Johnny Oduya on a three-year deal worth $10.5

million, a bargain.

Detroit: The Red Wings are still loaded, but their previous signings have limited

their ability to work the open market. They made an honest effort to keep Hossa, but it wasn't

enough. They lost backup goalie Ty Conklin, who was better than Chris Osgood during the

regular season. Role players Samuelsson and Kopecky are gone, and goaltending remains a

question. Good news: Rookies Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader are prepared to step

into steady roles.