Zach played the devils fans and organization more than any of us will ever truely know. He's not the good old honest American boy we all thought he was. Leaving the Devils was well planned out. He talked with Suter all year about it while playing for the devils and giving us the lip service. There was even communication between them during the ECF that Zach admitted to the other day then began to back track on the topic. Chico Resch said all year if you talked to him off the record that Zach definitely wasn't coming back and that info came directly from his buddy JP. JP was even reportedly talking at the Pitt Draft that no chance Zach returns to the devils. Zach could have said all along " well see " when asked about returning to the devils. Instead he said that he definitely wanted to resign with NJ and it was a priorty to work things out with NJ yet he never even came back to Lou with a chance to match the offer, he was just gone to Minn. He said all along he wants to be a contender and wants to win and chooses the Wild?? Face it, he is an all American Liar and he should be treated as such when he returns. Toss Jerseys, chant he sucks, Kovy's better and boo him loud and endlessly!
I'll leave whats written on the bottom for you all to judge if it's true or not ( I pulled it from HF Boards ) but i certainly believe this is what really happened behind the scenes. Don't fall for Lou's saving face stuff about Zach choosing Minn to go home and Nj was second choice....
from HF poster....
I now know for a fact that Lou felt exactly like Poile did yesterday, but with the experience he has he didn't show it as much.
One of the guys I talk to actually spoke to one of our leading scouts last night (can't mention names), and they said they were all pretty much in shock, because they had basically been told he was coming back. The offer Lou presented them in Toronto was exactly the deal Parise and his agents were looking for and that's why Lou said it went very well.
When they found out about the decision Lou didn't take it very well at all. He was pretty upset with the agents. He was in a long conversation with them. Lou was actually supposed to have a conference call first, before Poile, but he was reportedly going bezerk on the agents, who he feels orchestrated this and sort of pushed Parise in this direction.
But he also said that in the back of everyone's mind they knew that there was a risk of this happening and that's why they kept the first rounder this year and picked Matteau and went hard after forwards. Matteau has the same kind of batteries that Parise has, less skilled, but won't be denied he said.
He said they are not worried, they have plans, but they're surprised and shocked because they were basically told Parise was coming back and not to worry. He just wanted to see the interest, similar to Marty and then come back to Lou. The money from Minnesota was better, but not substantially better.