NHL Rumours: Philadelphia Flyers and Zach Parise

Analysis: Philadelphia has been a nice surprise as the young squad occupies second place in the Metropolitan Division. John Tortorella has gotten a lot out of this younger team and it’s been something experts didn’t see coming. Briere and the Flyers cleared out some hefty contracts like Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov and others in the off-season. However, players like Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny have stepped up big time for the Flyers.

However, Briere isn’t willing to hit the accelerator on the rebuild. He said to Marek that it’s great the team is playing meaningful hockey games. Despite this, the Flyers won’t undo all of the work they’ve done in the most recent off-season. The Flyers’ GM did say plans could change, but one thinks they won’t be mortgaging their future for the quick fix.

Players like Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett and others are going to be the cornerstones for the Flyers in the next few seasons. Briere is playing it smart for now and won’t give away his cards with so much time until the deadline. Philadelphia could become a player, but it may be a little deal and not one where other teams are going to go all-in.

Zach Parise

Rumour: The Athletic’s Chris Johnston said that the veteran forward is closing in on a return to action. Johnston discussed who may be in the market for the American scorer.

Analysis: Parise scored 21 goals last season with the New York Islanders in a bounce-back season with the club. However, he didn’t want to commit to the full grind of an 82-game season. The 39-year-old decided to stay at home in Minnesota and work out while he decided his future. However, Parise is seemingly ready to jump in and help a team out.

Johnston said there isn’t a contract imminent, but many teams are aware of Parise’s progress and are keeping on him. A return to the Islanders could be in the cards, where Parise had a surprisingly successful season on Long Island. The Isles have struggled to score at times and he would have familiarity with a good number of his teammates should he come back. New York does have a little bit of salary cap room to play with due to the Adam Pelech injury. The blueliner is eligible to return soon, but probably won’t.

However, it may not just be the Islanders that want to sign Parise. Plenty of teams would love to get their hands on Parise and add him to their depth forwards. He could be a vital addition to the bottom six and it may not just be for goals. Parise is a veteran that’s been in the league with the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild along with the Islanders.

One of his main goals is also the pursuit of a Stanley Cup, which has eluded the veteran forward. A Cup would be a good capper to his career, but he’ll have to find the right situation.