Gordon Bombay to Toronto (e4) Clearing up Parise talk
Posted 1:02 AM ET | Comments 0
Parise. Zach Parise. Yes, he signed for only a 1 year deal, which surely means his days as a Devil are numbered.. as a Rangers faithful has repeatedly told me joyfully (as joyful as if Wade Reddens contract never happened...)
Yes, as a die hard Devils fan Parise's long term fate is certainly a concern. To me, Parise is an example of everything a player should be. He does everything, doesn't complain, and is a pleasure to watch whenever he is on the ice. He's arguably one of the top 5 players in the NHL, if not certainly top 10.
Lets clear something up
I just do not understand all the talk about Parise's lack of a future in NJ, as well as the decline of Uncle Lou, simply because a long term deal was not reached this off-season. According to one brilliant observer, who i'm ashamed to admit is a Devils fan, the fact that a long term deal could not be reached while there was still a few days to negotiate is hard evidence that Parise is done.
Lets use our imaginations here for a second..
You are Lou. The heart of your team is a RFA. He is coming off of a season which saw him miss pretty much the whole season with a serious injury. It is believed that the injury is fully recovered with no increased chance of re-occurrence. However, there are still questions. Will he be the same player? Will the time he has been out affect him in any way and make him take a while to get re-acclimated during the season? What happens if the injury does reoccur and Parise ends up with Chris Drury knees? (as a mets fan this question seems to pop into my mind for some reason....)
Would you sign Parise to a 10 year deal? Personally i would. Then again, i'm not exactly and expert at building quality championship teams like Glen Sather. Hell, i gave up on my team in NHL 11 because i got BOTH Brian Rolston and Colin the one eyed pirate White in one booster pack... talk about hell.......
i believe Parise's injury is a thing of the past and i expect his point totals this year to be in the range of 80-90. However, say Parise's knee is significantly weakend and prone to injury and his production decreases as a result of the injury, to that of say 50-60 points. Do you really want to carry a cap hit of about 7 million longterm? cough scott gomez cough.
It is wise to allow Parise the chance to prove his health and production by signing him to the one year deal while avoiding arbitration. A one year deal to avoid arbitration is no reason to panic(see Henrik Lundqvist Rangers fans...) Also, The team has the ability to maintain negotiations throughout the season (see Scott Stevens and Broduer extensions). Sure, it would have been nice to lock him up, but realistically, a one year deal is fine. We will have plenty of space to provide for Parise's payday next year. Oh and Sorry Toronto, Islanders, Buffalo(highest paid AHL team? cause a salary cap doesn't exist), and Winnipeg fans... IF Parise was to ever leave via UFA, he would go to a proven winner. Hes not the type to just chase the money.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves, We still have the whole season ahead of us. A season with Parise in uniform, along with Kovie, and the electrifying youth movement in Tedenby, Josefson, Urbom, Taormina, Larsson, and possibly Henrique..
Till then, we will just have to suffer the constant rumors. More To Come.
actually no. theres no more to come. this is the end of the blog.
Yes, as a die hard Devils fan Parise's long term fate is certainly a concern. To me, Parise is an example of everything a player should be. He does everything, doesn't complain, and is a pleasure to watch whenever he is on the ice. He's arguably one of the top 5 players in the NHL, if not certainly top 10.
Lets clear something up
I just do not understand all the talk about Parise's lack of a future in NJ, as well as the decline of Uncle Lou, simply because a long term deal was not reached this off-season. According to one brilliant observer, who i'm ashamed to admit is a Devils fan, the fact that a long term deal could not be reached while there was still a few days to negotiate is hard evidence that Parise is done.
Lets use our imaginations here for a second..
You are Lou. The heart of your team is a RFA. He is coming off of a season which saw him miss pretty much the whole season with a serious injury. It is believed that the injury is fully recovered with no increased chance of re-occurrence. However, there are still questions. Will he be the same player? Will the time he has been out affect him in any way and make him take a while to get re-acclimated during the season? What happens if the injury does reoccur and Parise ends up with Chris Drury knees? (as a mets fan this question seems to pop into my mind for some reason....)
Would you sign Parise to a 10 year deal? Personally i would. Then again, i'm not exactly and expert at building quality championship teams like Glen Sather. Hell, i gave up on my team in NHL 11 because i got BOTH Brian Rolston and Colin the one eyed pirate White in one booster pack... talk about hell.......
i believe Parise's injury is a thing of the past and i expect his point totals this year to be in the range of 80-90. However, say Parise's knee is significantly weakend and prone to injury and his production decreases as a result of the injury, to that of say 50-60 points. Do you really want to carry a cap hit of about 7 million longterm? cough scott gomez cough.
It is wise to allow Parise the chance to prove his health and production by signing him to the one year deal while avoiding arbitration. A one year deal to avoid arbitration is no reason to panic(see Henrik Lundqvist Rangers fans...) Also, The team has the ability to maintain negotiations throughout the season (see Scott Stevens and Broduer extensions). Sure, it would have been nice to lock him up, but realistically, a one year deal is fine. We will have plenty of space to provide for Parise's payday next year. Oh and Sorry Toronto, Islanders, Buffalo(highest paid AHL team? cause a salary cap doesn't exist), and Winnipeg fans... IF Parise was to ever leave via UFA, he would go to a proven winner. Hes not the type to just chase the money.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves, We still have the whole season ahead of us. A season with Parise in uniform, along with Kovie, and the electrifying youth movement in Tedenby, Josefson, Urbom, Taormina, Larsson, and possibly Henrique..
Till then, we will just have to suffer the constant rumors. More To Come.
actually no. theres no more to come. this is the end of the blog.