The Ottawa Senators on Tuesday re-signed left wing Milan Michalek to a three-year, $12 million contract. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team.

The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed defenseman Frédéric St-Denis to a one-year, two-way contract, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced Tuesday.

The wooing period is almost over. A lot of money is about to change hands.

Unrestricted free agents can start fielding official contract offers from NHL teams at noon ET July 1. If history is a guide, many of them will do quite well.

In preparation for the frenzy that is the NHL free-agent market, here are nine questions that likely will be answered in the coming days. The answers will shape the future of many players and teams.

1. Is there a market for Martin Brodeur?

The answer is probably yes, but it's thin and the 42-year-old goaltender won't get what he wants, which is a promise for playing time on a Cup-contending team. If Brodeur signs anywhere it will be as a backup. He had a .901 save percentage last season and hasn't been better than .908 since 2009-10.

It would be a shock if he re-signs with the New Jersey Devils. They realize it's time to move on without him and make Cory Schneider the unquestioned No. 1 goalie. Brodeur has said he doesn't want to stand in the way of that.

The group of forwards eligible to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 is littered with potential difference makers, but only a select few merit star status.

Here are the top nine UFA forwards:

Note: The terms listed in their last contract are from CapGeek.com.

Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller no doubt want to sign long-term, lucrative contracts, but history suggests they might have to settle for less than what they want.

The free-agent market hasn't been kind to goaltenders in recent years because there are so few openings and even fewer teams willing to commit significant dollars to the position when they might be in a rebuilding phase.

Jaroslav Halak is the exception because he got what he was looking for in a four-year contract with the New York Islanders last month. The Islanders, though, were one of maybe three teams that closed the 2013-14 season without a goalie under contract who has either proven to be a No. 1 or has been advertised as one.

The Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres are the other two, but both are in the early stages of rebuilding programs and at least have goalies that are cheap, serviceable and potentially could turn into strong No. 1s in Karri Ramo (Flames), Michal Neuvirth (Sabres) and Jhonas Enroth (Sabres). There's no reason for either to dole out big contracts to iron out the position now.

Barring a trade, the Vancouver Canucks might be willing to give out a significant multi-year contract to a goalie. Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom are inexpensive, but also young and inexperienced. If the objective is to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Canucks might decide to address the position.

Miller and Hiller could be options.

PHILADELPHIA -- As much as the Boston Bruins and veteran right wing Jarome Iginla want to continue their affiliation, general manager Peter Chiarelli knows the NHL salary cap might get in the way of their partnership advancing beyond this month.

"Jarome wants to stay and we're trying to find a spot for him, but we're both big boys; if we can't, we can't," Chiarelli said Friday morning. "Certainly we're both trying to work at it."

Chiarelli made his comments before the NHL officially set the salary cap for the 2014-15 season at $69 million. That figure could be problematic for the Bruins, whose cap figure will be reduced by $4.75 million, according to CapGeek.com, because of bonus overages, most notably owed to Iginla, that carry into 2014-15.

While very few restricted free agents have changed teams in the NHL's salary-cap era, how teams negotiate contracts for their young talent is a huge part of constructing a roster in the long term.

Whether the player is negotiating his second or third contract can have an effect on the money involved. The tweaks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement before the 2012-13 season could also have an impact on negotiations.

There are a lot of talented players who could command significant money this summer. Here's a look at some of the most interesting RFAs who need a new contract this offseason.