The National Hockey League free agency period opened at 12 p.m. EST on Friday July 5. Almost every team wasted little time right out of the gate.

It can be argued that the most savvy of general managers realize that this time is more of a marathon than a sprint, but given the dollar amount awarded to players on Friday alone (63 new contracts at $412 million collectively), do they really believe that? Didn’t we just come out of a lockout because of teams overspending on players? Huh? What lockout?

Unlike most sports that are riddled with free agent busts at astronomical price tags, the NHL seems like more of a 50/50 risk when teams kick the tires on a used player. That said, there are no lemon laws in free agency across the board. Let the buyer beware because sometimes there are more than simple diagnostics to determine if you have made the right deal.

Here are five guys that I would definitely run a Carfax check for. Not that they haven’t proven themselves to be successful in the NHL to this point, but like Transformers (but not Transformers II, that movie sucked), there is more than meets the eye.

1. Nathan Horton, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets

Just when it seemed that Columbus had turned the corner to becoming a legitimate franchise, they went out and signed Horton to a moronic long-term deal (seven years for $37 million).  Their “marque” player won’t be available to them until December due to major shoulder surgery and has a history of concussions. With the smart moves Columbus had made to this point, making that deal with a second line scorer is just terrible. This contract will be voided less than four years in guaranteed.

2. Vincent Lecavalier, C, Philadelphia Flyers

I’ll admit that after some of the deals I saw handed out on Friday, the deal that brought Vinnie to Philly doesn’t seem all that bad. The financial terms aren’t terrible but the move makes little to no sense to me. Signing a 34-year old multimillionaire who has already won a Stanley Cup makes sense if the guy is still producing at a high level, but Lecavalier has been on the down swing for five consecutive years now. He could find a fountain of youth skating with younger talent in Philadelphia, but could also turn into a salary cap casualty before his new deal runs out.

3. Valtteri Filppula, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

I promise that not every bad free agent option hasn’t already signed, but so far these three deserve mention. Filppula is coming off a terrible year on a talented Detroit roster. He has always been more of a complimentary player and hardly deserved the (five year $25 million) that he’ll be paid in Tampa. He is an extremely gifted player that has shown that he can be productive, but by the time this deal runs out, the slippery Fin will have stolen money from the Lightning franchise.

4. Jaromir Jagr, FA

Let’s be honest, why is Jagr still trying to play. In his younger days, Jagr was the most gifted player in the world. The flashes that we see now are much fewer and much farther in between. Sadly, an NHL team will hire him and his strange looking facial hair to a deal, only to trade him to a playoff contender next March. Anyone remember Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards?

5. Mikhail Grabovski, FA

After having his contract bought out in Toronto, the disgruntled center fired some parting shots, including a dozen or so f-bombs at former coach Randy Carlyle. Not exactly what you want to see from a player that is looking for a job. Grabovski is supremely talented and will be a top six forward wherever he lands, but if you are looking to build a team with character guys, buyer, definitely beware.