New Jersey Devils: 3 Trade Packages For Zach Parise
It would be fun to see the New Jersey Devils bring back Zach Parise.
The New Jersey Devils couldn’t even make it to a 24-team playoff because they were awful this past season. This came after a brilliant offseason that saw them make a lot of additions that should have helped them turn into a pretty good team. None of that ended up working on the ice. They have a lot of good young pieces in place, but they have a long way to go.
One thing they could really use is a veteran winger to help out Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. There might not be a better realistic option than Zach Parise. The former Devils captain left them after losing the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Los Angeles Kings eight years ago. He went home to play for the Minnesota Wild where he has, at this point, played longer. Eight years is a long time, but if he is available, the Devils could look to bring him back.
Parise seemed like he was traded this past trade deadline to the New York Islanders. The deal was basically announced, but then something happened and the deal was pulled. If the Wild were willing to trade him then, it is clear that they could be willing to move him after losing to the Vancouver Canucks in the 2020 play-in round.
Last week, Nick Villano mentioned Parise in the piece talking about possible moves with the Minnesota Wild. That got us to thinking about what it would cost to bring Parise back to the Garden State.
Of course, Parise would have to sign off on the trade if one was presented to the Wild. Maybe he would find pleasure in coming back to New Jersey to make things right and help the young team take the next step. He is not the superstar player that he was when he left the Devils, but he is still good for 25-30 goals and would be a great leader on the team. He is still as tenacious as he was with New Jersey and that makes him a great mentor. These three packages might get it done:
Trade One
The New Jersey Devils have had an up and down experience with Miles Wood. He is incredibly fast, but his hands can’t always match what his feet are doing at full speed. He might be due for a fresh start with another team that could use his speed. The Minnesota Wild is definitely one of those teams. Wood would fit in there perfectly on their fourth line. He has had a couple of seasons with New Jersey that he can be a somewhat decent goal scorer, but consistency has always been his downfall.
If Parise came to the Devils in exchange for Wood, he would take his spot at left wing but be placed much higher in the lineup. He would probably fit in better with Jack Hughes because Parise is more of a net-front presence that can do work down low and take advantage of a super-skilled playmaker. Nico Hischier and Parise would work, but they are a lot more alike as far as being hard on the puck. One way Parise would help Hischier is in a leadership role.
The swap of the 3rd-round pick for a 4th-round pick would be to make up for the fact that Parise is a better player than Wood. It isn’t that much of an upgrade because of the fact that the Devils would be eating up a lot of cap space with Parise’s big contract. They have a lot of cap space that can take on a guy like Parise, but they would also be getting a good veteran leader for the price.
Trade Two
The New Jersey Devils could afford to take on Zach Parise. In order to do that, they might want the Minnesota Wild to take two lesser players so they can get his contract off their books. That would be the perfect case for the Devils to send them Pavel Zacha and John Hayden. They would both bring new different elements to Minnesota’s lineup and give the two players a good chance.
Neither of them was all that great with New Jersey, but served a purpose at times during some tough years. Zacha is one good penalty killer, but his offense leaves a lot to be desired, especially for a sixth overall pick in an all-time great draft. Hayden is just a big body that can play on a fourth line if a team needs some toughness.
The Devils might be able to insert some better players that can help them win if they lost Zacha and Hayden and put in Parise. They would be adding a guy who can really put the puck in the net and help the younger guys produce offense for two guys who might not be right to have on the team when they expect to take the next step. Minnesota, however, might be willing to add someone who is there to kill penalties to get Parise’s contract off the books.
Trade Three
The New Jersey Devils could even go the route of taking on their former captain’s contract to acquire another asset. Parise’s contract is a whopping $7.5 million against the cap. If he came to the Devils, they could absolutely afford it, but they would need to deal with it for five more seasons and protect him (unless he grants them permission not to) in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. That is difficult which might make them more likely to want to add an asset.
Minnesota, however, would probably want a nice young player back in return. Joey Anderson is a Minnesota native and he went to college there. It would probably be a dream come true for him to play for the Wild. He is a good player, but it isn’t like he is a grade-A prospect for the Devils. He is the type of player that you can plug on pretty much any line as needed but a third-line role seems good for him.
Hot. The New Jersey Devils have three first-round picks. light
The 2nd-round pick would be the asset New Jersey gets back from the Wild for Anderson along with Parise. Joey Anderson would be a nice addition to the Wild’s bottom-six but Parise would probably go right on New Jersey’s first or second line and be there for a while. The second-round pick would be great for the Devils to add to their plethora of picks. This is a trade that could be fair for two teams that have vastly different needs.