The last time we saw Zach Parise was at the end of last season when the New York Islanders disbanded for the summer.
Parise’s contract with the Islanders was up, and as he was only a few months from his 39th birthday, there was no guarantee he’d come back for another NHL season. One thing he did say, though, was that if he did choose to return, it’d be with the Islanders.
Fast forward nine months later, that may no longer be the case.
According to Michael Russo on the Worst Seats In The House Podcast, Parise is close to signing a contract and expects it to be with the Colorado Avalanche.
“Zach Parise is close to signing, by the way,” Russo said on the podcast. “I think it’s going to happen in the next couple of days. My guess is that he’ll skate through the end of the All-Star break and then be ready to debut. I think Colorado is the team he’s going to.”
Russo also mentioned that the Boston Bruins are interested in acquiring Parise’s services and that he believes the Islanders were out of the running.
Parise, 39, is an 18-year NHL veteran but has not played in a game since the end of last season. He made the decision to start this year at home with his family in Minnesota and has reportedly been gradually ramping up his training for a return over the last several months.
When the Islanders began training camp back in September, team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said, “we’ll keep the door open for [Parise]” if he had the desire to return to New York.
Parise revitalized his career with the Islanders. In two seasons with the club, he never missed a game and totaled 69 points with 36 goals, while contributing in all phases of the game.
Last season, Parise’s 21 goals were third-most on the Islanders. He also skated 1,900 shifts, the most out of any forward who spent the entire season with the team and blocked the fourth most shots of any forwards in the league.
Drafted in the first round of the 2003 NHL Draft, there is little missing from Parise’s list of accolades. However, the one thing that’s alluded him in his entire career is the Stanley Cup.
If winning a championship is Parise’s reason for returning, Colorado makes sense. The Avalanche is only a year removed from winning the Cup and are currently third in the league standings with 63 points.
Meanwhile, the Islanders sit outside the playoff picture and don’t appear to be a team destined to make a title run at the moment, even with new head coach Patrick Roy manning the ship.
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