Where does Zach Parise want to be when the 2011-2012 season starts? NO ONE KNOWS!
Mike Brophy and the Boston Globe each released a “report” that Zach Parise has little interest in staying in New Jersey and would like to sign elsewhere. Both reports are better suited for media outlets covering European soccer. When Carlos Tevez wasn’t feeling the love at Manchester city he submitted a transfer request and it was all over the news. Tevez has since pulled his transfer request and is playing like a man possessed for the Blues. My point being: the Devils operate in a completely opposite manner.
Lou Lamoriello’s team sits at 10-26-2 with 22 points; dead last in the league. Change is being demanded from the fans and from the world of common sense but Lou is sure in no hurry to provide said change. John MacLean was fired a month too late and was not replaced with a ‘new’ coach. Jacques Lemaire has already agreed that he will not remain behind the bench past this season and will only serve as a teacher and therapist that will report directly upstairs. As all the smoke clears the Devils still do not have a coach. Brian Rolston was waived on December 14th and was put on re-entry waivers as the holiday roster freeze expired last week. Getting rid of Rolston is something that would greatly help the Devils’ cap problems. If another team claimed him, they would be responsible for half of his salary (roughly 2.5 million) and the Devils would be responsible for the other half and half of a cap hit as well. The only problem is that no one claimed him. There had been multiple reports that other teams were displaying interest in picking him up, but they were inaccurate as is every speculative report involving a New Jersey Devils player. On the surface, it looks like Lou has gotten rid of a bad coach and an overpriced older player. In reality, the Devils still need to conduct a coaching search and Brian Rolston is looking to return to the lineup ASAP.
Over the summer, Matt Halischuk was traded for Jason Arnott, Henrik Tallinder and Anton Volchenkov were signed, and the Ilya Kovalchuk saga raged on. Not once did anyone get an inside scoop of any of these events. The closest was the New York Post on the contract term and amount for Kovalchuk. Every time Lou Lamoriello was asked about Kovalchuk, he responded by saying “Everything is STATUS QUO.” That is now a phrase that Devil fans hear while trying to sleep at night. Remember, Ilya Kovalchuk signing with the Kings was imminent. Eklund even reported that the Devils were out of the running for Kovalchuk on August 19th when Kovy made the decision on the 17th to sign with the Devils.
Regardless of how far off track I just got with this article, no one knows what Zach Parise is going to do or what he wants to do. Parise himself probably does not have a good indication yet. After hiring new representation, contract talks have yet to begin. A lot of people speculate that the Ilya Kovalchuk ordeal turned Parise off to the Devils. I happen to think the complete opposite. Parise was THE goal scorer on the Devils. Opposing teams would match their shut down lines with Zach’s line to try to stop his offense night in and night out. Kovalchuk on the Devils gives the other team something to think about. If they decide to crack down on Parise, Kovalchuk will have space and vice-versa. Those two could be the most dynamic 1-2 punch in the game. Parise knows he would also be part of a team that has a winning culture and a very serious commitment to winning.
When dealing with the Devils, nothing is fact. Zach Parise and Lou Lamoriello have admitted that no contract talks have taken place. In Lou’s world that could mean that the papers are drawn and just need to be signed. At this juncture, I would hope that is the case. Devils ticket agents and marketing representatives are furiously calling everyone in the Yellowpages to sell tickets and the Devils have not given the fans one reason to dig into their bank accounts to see this albatross of a team.
Besides being a blogger, I am a die-hard New Jersey Devils fan. If I was to be asked what the number one thing I would like the Devils to accomplish this season was, I would reply SIGN ZACH PARISE. The Devils would ensure themselves and their fans that they will have the best American non goalie (no worries Ryan Miller) for years to come.
To conclude, the Devils should know by now that they will not be in the playoffs this year. They should be gearing up for the offseason and next season. Signing Zach Parise should be the top priority. After that, Lou should look at trading Jamie Langenbrunner for either the third round (or better) pick that was taken away or a prospect. It may even be smart to trade Arnott for a draft pick as well.
According to Tom Gulitti and Rich Chere, Hedberg will be in net tomorrow night. Also, Mark Fayne has been sent down to Albany and Mark Fraser has returned. All signs point to him playing tomorrow night in Newark against the Minnesota Wild. The Devils have a shot at beating the Wild and they would be very wise to do so before they face the Flyers twice and Tampa once to round out the week. Look for game previews from Jon Nudo before whichever game he has the chance to write about.
The most exciting game of the week is not a Devils game! Tonight in the World Juniors tournament in Buffalo USA faces off against Canada. That game is going to be RIDICULOUS.