The first day of free agency took place on Canada Day north of the border - as it always does - and it was a work day stateside this year, so we'll forgive those who opted for some rest and relaxation or an all-important business meeting.

Here's what you may have missed on a jam-packed day of movement in the NHL. The value of the contracts hasn't been confirmed in all cases, but you can check our offseason tracker for more information on the deals.

Milan Lucic

Loui Eriksson

Victor Hedman

Kyle Okposo

Aaron Ekblad

Andrew Ladd

David Backes

Troy Brouwer

Eric Staal

James Reimer

Alexander Radulov

Frans Nielsen

Mikkel Boedker

Dan Hamhuis

Andrei Vasilevskiy

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After spending his entire NHL career in one city, now-former Blues captain David Backes is heading to the Boston Bruins after signing a five-year contract on the first day of free agency, but the city of St. Louis remains close to his heart.

Attending a St. Louis Cardinals game Friday, Backes told Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest his decision was "extremely difficult," saying he leaves Missouri with his only regret being he didn't bring a Cup to St. Louis.

Backes remains in St. Louis for the wedding of former teammate Alex Pietrangelo on Saturday, and the 32-year-old revealed he asked Blues general manager Doug Armstrong if he could present the defenseman with his vacated captaincy as a present, before saying any player chosen would do a "heck of a job."

Later in the game, the fans at Busch Stadium showed their appreciation for the 10-year veteran, giving Backes a standing ovation:

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The first day of NHL free agency was indeed a frenzy, with over $300 million in contracts being dished out in the first hour alone.

But teams shouldn't feel bad if they missed out on the big names Friday, as there are a number of serviceable free agents still searching for a new arena to call home next season.

Here are the top five remaining UFAs:

Jason Demers

The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens have already been ruled out of the running to sign the former seventh-round pick, but Demers is sure to get a lot of attention as one of the best right-handed defenseman available.

Widely regarded for his defensive play, the 28-year-old scored a career-high seven goals in 62 games last season with the Dallas Stars, and may fetch around $5.5 million per year to take a spot in a team's top four D-men.

Jiri Hudler

Despite a disappointing 46-point campaign this past season, Hudler is only one year removed from a 2014-15 season when he recorded 31 goals and 76 points with the Calgary Flamesl. He's arguably the most skilled forward still without a team.

Though he was picked up as a rental by the Florida Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, a return to Sunrise appears unlikely. There's been little word of interest in the Lady Byng winner, and the 32-year-old may see a slight pay cut from his previous $4-million salary.

Kris Russell

Another former Star, Russell - like Demers - is bound for a significant raise on the open market with the Canucks, Canadiens, and Maple Leafs all rumored to be interested in his services.

The 29-year-old made little impact with Dallas after a trade-deadline deal from the Flames, but his status as one of the league's top shot-blockers has made him a priority for a number of teams.

Kris Versteeg

If a team is looking to add postseason experience to their dressing room, they should take a long look at Versteeg, who won a pair of Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 and 2015.

The 30-year-old split last season between the Hurricanes and Kings, racking up 38 points in 77 games. He's a solid depth forward option that has hit the 20-goal mark three times in his career.

Radim Vrbata

Vrbata earned a trip to the 2015 All-Star Game in his first season with the Vancouver Canucks, finishing with a career-high 63 points playing alongside the Sedin twins. His contract year, however, was a huge disappointment.

The 35-year-old managed just 27 points in 2015-16, but his skill is certainly not being ignored with five teams rumored to be in the mix for the Czech winger.

Honorable mentions: P.A. Parenteau, Brandon Pirri, Roman Polak, Luke Schenn, Justin Schultz.

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Wednesday's flurry of shocking moves didn't ruin the Friday frenzy after all.

General managers handed out more than half a billion dollars in the span of a few hours after the NHL's free agency period officially opened at noon.

Here are some of the winners and losers from a busy opening day of free agency:

Winners

Tampa Bay Lightning

A great week for Steve Yzerman got even better Friday.

Two days after convincing Steven Stamkos to stay in Tampa Bay, the Lightning GM signed his best defenseman, Victor Hedman, to an eight-year, $63-million extension.

Yzerman also inked backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year, $10.5-million deal, and that's a solid Ben Bishop insurance policy should the Lightning decide to deal the veteran netminder (as they reportedly explored doing at the draft).

This was a critical offseason for Tampa Bay, and it's gone swimmingly so far.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres missed out on Stamkos earlier in the week, and they weren't about to let one of the other big fish in free agency get away.

Buffalo was thought to be the favorite to land Kyle Okposo on Friday morning, and the Sabres got their man about 20 minutes after the frenzy began.

Okposo's deal is reportedly for six years and $42 million, which isn't unreasonable considering his age (28), Buffalo's cap flexibility, and the fact he's been one of the most productive scoring wingers in the league over the last five seasons.

Whether he plays with Ryan O'Reilly or Jack Eichel, Okposo should come close to replicating the numbers he achieved with John Tavares and the New York Islanders.

Calgary Flames

The Flames had cash to play with, and while they didn't wade into the deep end, they did sign veteran forward Troy Brouwer to a four-year, $18-million deal.

Brouwer is a perfect fit for Calgary, given his blend of scoring touch and physicality. His affordable deal gives the Flames room to lock up pending restricted free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, as well as Sam Bennett, who'll become one if he's not signed after this season.

The Flames also picked up experienced backup goaltender Chad Johnson on a one-year contract for a mere $1.7 million Friday after acquiring Brouwer's former St. Louis Blues teammate, Brian Elliott, on draft night.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers have had an unusual offseason, but GM Tom Rowe and company should be smiling after Friday's moves.

Florida finalized its long-term deal with franchise defenseman Aaron Ekblad, getting pen to paper on an eight-year, $60-million extension.

The Panthers also shored up their goaltending for now and potentially years to come, signing James Reimer to a five-year, $17-million agreement.

Roberto Luongo is 37 years old, so this was a brilliant move, given Reimer's experience as a starter with the Toronto Maple Leafs and his willingness to play in a backup role on a Stanley Cup contender as he did with the San Jose Sharks.

Losers

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings had some wiggle room after dealing Pavel Datsyuk's contract away at the draft, but they made some puzzling moves Friday.

Frans Nielsen, a 32-year-old forward with two seasons of 20-or-more goals to his name, got six years and $31.5 million from Detroit GM Ken Holland.

The Red Wings also gave Darren Helm a five-year extension, then signed Thomas Vanek - who was bought out by the Minnesota Wild - and Steve Ott to a one-year deals.

Getting young defenseman Alexey Marchenko back on a two-year deal was smart, but the rest of Holland's moves left something to be desired.

New York Islanders

The Islanders knew they were going to lose Okposo and Frans Nielsen, but couldn't do enough to replace them Friday.

Andrew Ladd is a consistent scoring winger, but Islanders GM Garth Snow gave the 30-year-old a seven-year, $38.5-million contract, and then signed 37-year-old Jason Chimera to a two-year pact.

Ladd should click with John Tavares if he plays with him on the top line, but Ladd's contract could come back to haunt the Islanders in a few years, and Tavares is a pending unrestricted free agent in 2019.

Shane Prince will likely have an increased role after signing for two years and $1.7 million, but the Islanders are certainly worse off now than they were when the day began.

New York Rangers

The Rangers were preparing for a possible overhaul this summer, but so far, the roster hasn't changed much since season's end.

New York GM Jeff Gorton made three signings Friday, all of them underwhelming.

The Rangers signed inconsistent forward Michael Grabner to a two-year, $3.3-million pact, and added diminutive center Nathan Gerbe on a one-year deal.

After losing Keith Yandle and failing to rid themselves of Dan Girardi's troublesome contract, the Rangers needed to address their blue line, but only added Adam Clendening on a two-way agreement.

Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers GM Ron Hextall made it clear that he needed to add "scoring and play-making" this summer, but did little to accomplish that on Day 1 of free agency.

He signed Dale Weise to a four-year, $9.4-million deal, and while that's not an astronomical amount of money, giving that kind of term to a winger who scored a career-high 14 goals this season raises questions.

Philadelphia rounded out the day by signing center Boyd Gordon, who's devoid of offensive skill, and 28-year-old AHL sniper Andy Miele.

Brayden Schenn is weighing a qualifying offer, but even if he accepts it, the Flyers didn't do enough to address their biggest concern.

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NHL general managers made it rain Friday.

The free-agent market opened with a bang Friday at 12 p.m. ET, with a flurry of action over the first three hours.

The major players - Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson, Andrew Ladd, Kyle Okposo, and Mikkel Boedker, to only name a few - are all off the board.

In total, teams spent more than $630 million - over half a billion dollars! - on 119 players, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon.

It was a frenzy, yeah.

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Kyle Okposo wants to win a Stanley Cup. He believes he can do it with the Buffalo Sabres.

Okposo left the New York Islanders on Friday, signing a seven-year deal with Buffalo reportedly worth $42 million.

"What sold me was the chance to win a Stanley Cup," Okposo said, according to the Times Herald's Bill Hoppe. "I think we have a lot of pieces in play that can help us achieve that goal."

The Sabres are rebuilding, but landing Okposo - who's posted 50 or more points in each of the last three seasons, and 60 or more in two of the last three - is a coup. He was one of the most coveted free-agent forwards on the market.

While he enjoyed his time playing alongside John Tavares, Okposo is looking forward to playing with Jack Eichel.

"He's got superstar status, and you definitely need that to win a Stanley Cup," he said.

Okposo added that there were no negotiations between his camp and the Islanders upon the conclusion of the season.

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