‏Zach Parise has agreed to terms with the Minnesota Wild

[devilsrule33]

Poile's dealt with alot of BS in his time, so if he felt blindsided by it it has to be pretty bad. So I'm not sure about the "unlike Lou" part, it's just that the Devils will never, ever speak of this. So far you've only gotten an impatient mascot, one of Brodeur's kids and Sherry Ross being sarcastic, and I would be surprised if you ever get more than that.

I think Poile thought all along Suter would sign there. Suter might have gone back on his word to Poile. Lou never had any assurance and said he wasn't surpised, just disappointed. I think Poille has just worked so hard to making the Preds a real contender, and now he sees it all falling apart. This is a team that wants to compete financially, but isn't drawing anyone in for some reason.

Like Lou, he had a great relationship with his player, and I think really was blindsided. Kind of weird that David Poille got Chuck Fletcher his GM spot with Minny since he really recommended him to his former boss, Creaig Leipold.

[MadDog2020]

No, the actual mascot, he had a pretty nasty tweet that got pulled off twitter.

Oh awesome, what did it say? I'd love to read this!

[NJDevs4978]

What'd he he tweet?

Something to the effect of 'if you're a Devils player and see your captain taking this much time to come back, do you even want him back?'. This was before he actually left obviously.

Edited July 5, 2012 by NJDevs4978

[maxpower]

i saw that - i was shocked they let that go.

It was really weird. I dunno if he's in with any of the current guys of with the team (he actually was Colin White's buddy as odd as that sounds)... but, really weird. But with the Devils message control we'll never know what theses guys think about of it, short of a Kovy Russian interview and those things are a crapshoot anyway. They made Sarge look like an a$$hole and anybody that's ever met him can tell you there couldn't be anything further from the truth.

[CarpathianForest]

I think Poile thought all along Suter would sign there. Suter might have gone back on his word to Poile. Lou never had any assurance and said he wasn't surpised, just disappointed. I think Poille has just worked so hard to making the Preds a real contender, and now he sees it all falling apart. This is a team that wants to compete financially, but isn't drawing anyone in for some reason.

Like Lou, he had a great relationship with his player, and I think really was blindsided. Kind of weird that David Poille got Chuck Fletcher his GM spot with Minny since he really recommended him to his former boss, Creaig Leipold.

I think Nashville will still be a successful playoff team. They've got a good group there and are a Defensman factory. They're very similar to NJ in that the Preds lose perceived important pieces but still manage to stay competitive.

[MadDog2020]

Btw, did Parise even bother to acknowledge the Devils at all at his little shindig this afternoon? Did he even say 'thank you' to the organization that traded up to draft him, Lou (who treated him like a son), or the fans? Any expression of gratitude towards the Devils at all? Because if not, he's a bigger cocksucker than I thought.

Edited July 5, 2012 by MadDog2020

[devilsrule33]

Btw, did Parise even bother to acknowledge the Devils at all at his little shindig this afternoon? Did he even say 'thank you' to the organization that traded up to draft him, Lou (who treated him like a son), or the fans? Any expression of gratitude towards the Devils at all? Because if not, he's a bigger cocksucker than I thought.

This is a quick conference call. He doesn't have an open mic to say what he wants. This stuff will come when he is formally introduced by Nashville. If he doesn't say anything then...well have at him, but now we're really grasping at straws. But he did compliment the organization when discussing how hard it was to chose.

[maxpower]

I think Nashville will still be a successful playoff team. They've got a good group there and are a Defensman factory. They're very similar to NJ in that the Preds lose perceived important pieces but still manage to stay competitive.

They can always get Wade Redden, they made need him unless they pay Weber $12M next season.

[mikepeluso8]

The kid had EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US FOOLED.

A FRAUD.

A FARCE.

A FAKE.

A CLOWN.

And frankly, a little fvcking pansy...he just has that vibe about him like a "privileged daddy's little boy who thinks he's sweet". Kid's a punk if you ask me.

[RowdyFan42]

Listened to interviews with LeBrun, Dreger, and Arnott today. Here are some interesting tidbits from them:

- Suter told teams that he wanted to be on his farm July 1st and if any team came up there, they would be out of the running. He eventually met with Detroit the next day because he was very interested.

- While Parise was camped out in his Toronto office, the only team that ever got a face-to-face meeting was Lou Lamoriello the days before free agency.

- Philly offered both players well over $100 million for both players. And while it seems that the Flyers offered both the most, it never seemed like they had a chance at either.

- Chicago was in heavy for Parise and Suter, but Suter had no interest at all, and Parise passed

- Ken Holland told Pierre LeBrun that he would have matched Minny for Suter, if given the chance. They desperately wanted Suter.

- Like everyone has said, Suter and Parise only started talking about this on the evening of July 2nd. There might have been discussions before in the year, but this only got serious after two days of hearing offers. This was not something they started free agency really thinking about or talking to teams about possibly doing.

- Pittsburgh was 100% told they were out last night.

- Parise was offered possibly more by Minny, but it was important to him that he and Suter had identical deals.

- Unlike Lou, David Poile felt totally blindsided. He never thought Suter would go anywhere else. He even took a big run at Parise too. Was devastated that Suter never gave him the opportunity to match because he probably would. There is a general feeling that Weber will be gone now too. This isn't about a team not being able to afford their stars. They just want to go elsewhere. Poile won't make the same mistake again, and expect Weber to be dealt sometime during the year like Kovalchuk was if a deal can't be reached.

- In the end, these two guys wanted to go home to Minny and play together. Even though they got huge deals there, this money would have come from anywhere and some of the best teams in the league were after both.

- The bonuses were not something that was a must and not something they asked each team. Seemed like something Minny was interested in doing to entice both players.

- As for collusion: None of the insiders seem to really care. Sighted Jordan Staal and Eric talking. Wondering when Marc joins them. It's not against CBA rules so no big deal. "Something that has always gone and always will."

Now, see, there you go bringing facts and a voice of reason into the discussion. Don't you know that's not allowed in this thread?

[David Puddy]

Everyone walks around like Lou's sh!t doesn't stink, and yeah it has it's share of ups and downs. For every John Madden there is an Ilkka Pikkarainen. For every Brian Rafalski or David Clarkson Signing, there is a McGillis/Malakhov overpayment. We've had some lean drafts over the course of the past 10 yrs, and just recently they appear to have gotten better. Lou gets a lot of credit for the 3 cups and the now 5 SC finals, but it's been a while since he's outsmarted or fleeced anyone in a trade.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Woke up this morning, still angry he is gone. But less so.

I still understand his reasoning; it wasn't about the money either so I guess he isn’t a total sell out. He busted his ass every shift so you can never say he didn’t try.

That being said, in the words of the band Norma Jean “Just because I understand , doesn’t mean I really care” so I am still bitter, I wish him no success in Minnesota, I hope he spends the next 13 years watching whilst other people lift the cup, hopefully one of those people is Adam Henrique.

[MantaRay]

what moves would you make?

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

Anyone think its worth taking a look at Fabian Brunnstrom?

He is UFA, we have a strong Swedish Contingent, could be had for next to nothing, and if he failed to crack the NHL he would provide excellent depth for Albany.

[DaneykoIsGod]

Holy sh!t on a shingle, Manta's back!

Welcome back, fella!

[NLinfante]

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

Couldn't agree more. I think that Ryan could be a reasonable option to add some of the offense we lost, and his price tag will be considerably lower than Nash's. Other than that, we just need to ride it out. I woke up this morning and looked out the window; the sun was up and shining like every other day in my 26 years on Earth. I think we'll be just fine.

We know we cant really replace Zach, so it's foolish to try and pay (and put undue pressure) on someone who isnt Zach. We can all question how Lou handles the UFA's, but he also has helped us stay a contender for two decades.

[lucifer91]

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

I agree Manta. I would rather they wait it out. I think he will inquire about Semin, but the price will probably be too high for any of our likings.

I just wonder what we are going to do with our surplus of defense, we need to start getting Larsson in there more in my opinion.

[RedArmy8]

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

Agree as well. I don't think Lou will bother with the baggage that comes Semin and Nash would hurt us more than help us based on what Columbus is asking in return.

It would be smarter to see where Nash, or Ryan land and if these new teams have cap problems as a result of these deals.

Anyone think its worth taking a look at Fabian Brunnstrom?

He is UFA, we have a strong Swedish Contingent, could be had for next to nothing, and if he failed to crack the NHL he would provide excellent depth for Albany.

Brunnstrom couldn't even make in Detroit playing with Zetterburg and Datsuyk. Even in Albany I would rather give the ice time to developing players.

[grcenter47]

Immediately: Still back and watch. Panic moves/Rash decisions kill.

Wait for the smoke to clear. I would avoid Nash (asking price) and Semin (lazy) completely.

I would look at Bobby Ryan, for the right price (lower round draft picks, Teddy) but that would mean waiting until August and he might be gone. But that is ok.

I think Lou will look at someone NOT on the radar, who has fallen out of favor and needs a change in scenery and will not demand a huge asking price. That would be my plan. We have a good team base which went to the Finals, no need for major changes. But we do need to make one move for a second line scoring wing.

i would expect the ducks to ask for a lot but i wouldnt mind ryan on the team

[Bibby89]

If it would help entice him, #9 is available...

[ZeroGravityFat]

#9 should be given to the next player we sign, regardless of who they are.

[RedArmy8]

i would expect the ducks to ask for a lot but i wouldnt mind ryan on the team

No one would, its the asking price that is concerning.

[dantesinferno]

The thing that caught me by surprise was the level of immaturity that Parise seems to display. His quote, “Ryan and I had talked throughout the year, we’d say to each other wouldn’t it be great to play with each other on the same team.”

Really? Did you have friends in New Jersey? Wasn't it great to play with any of them? This is coming from the Captain of a professional hockey team while the season is underway? It’s like something Pee Wee players would text. Somehow I can’t see a Captain like Scott Stevens saying that. Sounds like a couple of giggling schoolgirls.

And his other memorable quote, “I know how great a player Ryan is, I played with him in several tournaments. To play with a player of that caliber, it’s a great opportunity.”

Uh, hello Zach...how about the great opportunity of playing with a player of Kovalchuk’s caliber? Several tournaments...? It almost sounds laughable.

The wisdom of hitching the rest of your career to your childhood BFF reeks of some type of arrested development and delusional thinking. Moving “back home” may be one thing but a professional athlete tying his contract to a friend’s because it would be "great to play together" just sounds creepy and weird.

The more this plays out and I read what went down and what Zach has to say, the more it seems he is just a kid with hockey skills. Adult leadership, honesty, integrity?.....nah.

[RedArmy8]

Btw, did Parise even bother to acknowledge the Devils at all at his little shindig this afternoon? Did he even say 'thank you' to the organization that traded up to draft him, Lou (who treated him like a son), or the fans? Any expression of gratitude towards the Devils at all? Because if not, he's a bigger cocksucker than I thought.

Yes, he did.

"The opportunity to play at home, it really meant a lot to me," said Parise, whose father, J.P., spent 14 years in the NHL, including eight with the Minnesota North Stars. "It meant a lot to my family. My parents were so excited when I said I was considering coming back home. That played a big part."

Parise said Wednesday that, had he not elected to sign with the Wild, he would have returned to New Jersey. "I'm a loyal person," he said. "I loved playing there."

[Mayday]

Parise said he wanted to return all along but he knew all year he was going to get big money and go back to Minnesota. He knew it for a long, long time.