The Florida Panthers spent a reported $67.6 million. The Buffalo Sabres became the league’s highest-payroll team. The Columbus Blue Jackets doled out $33 million to James Wisniewski (above) alone.

 

Oh, and Jaromir Jagr is back in the NHL – with the Flyers.

 

Those were the biggest surprises on the first day of free agency – a busy day considering that Brad Richards, the marquee name in a mostly middling crop of talent, didn’t sign a contract.

 

Jagr has 646 goals in his NHL career but didn’t enjoy the biggest payday.

The big winner was Wisniewski, who cashed in on his 51-point season with a six-year, $33 million contract in Columbus. The 27-year-old defenseman has some stability after playing for the Canadiens, Islanders, Ducks and Blackhawks in the last three seasons. Montreal traded his negotiating rights to Columbus earlier in the week.

 

“It was a little more enticing when they obviously got the trade with Jeff Carter there to help out Rick Nash,” Wisniewski said in an interview with NHL Live! “They’re a rebuilding team. I want to be part of something special that we can try and turn this thing around and become a Stanley Cup contending team.”

 

Jagr, who played his first 11 NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, heads across the state to Philadelphia on a one-year, $3.3 million contract. He has not played in the NHL since the 2007-08 season, when he scored 25 goals for the New York Rangers. The 39-year-old spent the last three seasons in the KHL.

 

Florida general manager Dale Tallon continued to overhaul his roster with a bevy of mid-range signings. Defenseman Ed Jovanovski (four years, $16.5 million), forwards Sean Bergenheim (four years, $11 million) Tomas Fleischmann (four years, $18 million), Scottie Upshall (four years, $14 million) and Marcel Goc (three years, $5.1 million), and goalie Jose Theodore (two years, $3 million) give the Panthers an experienced nucleus of newcomers. Tallon also sent a second- and third-round draft pick to Philadelphia for forward Kris Versteeg.

 

Buffalo inked former Flyers forward Ville Leino to a six-year contract worth a reported $27 million, two days after signing defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a a 10-year, $40 million contract.

 

The biggest winners of free agency may prove to be the most patient teams and players. That includes Richards, who told TSN that “three or four teams” are still in the running for his services. The Maple Leafs, Kings, Rangers, Flames, Lightning and Flyers all met with Richards and agent Pat Morris in Toronto.

 

Among the day’s other notable contracts:

 

• Veteran goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (two years, $2.5 million) and 23-year-old netminder Semyon Varlamov (two years, $5.5 million) signed with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs acquired Varlamov from the Washington Capitals for their 2012 first-round draft pick and a conditional second-round pick in 2012 or 2013.

 

• Dallas made Michael Ryder (two years, $7 million) the marquee name among its five signees. Vernon Fiddler, Radek Dvorak, Jake Dowell, Adam Pardy and Sheldon Souray are the other new Stars.

 

• Carolina inked goalie Brian Boucher to back up Cam Ward, along with depth forwards Tim Brent and Alexei Ponikarovsky.

 

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