Two days after watching the other team’s captain hoist the Stanley Cup, New Jersey leader Zach Parise said that he wants to return to the runner-up Devils next season.
On July 1, Parise is set to become arguably the most prized unrestricted free agent forward since teammate Ilya Kovalchuk signed a 15-year, $100 million contract two years ago.
Rumours surrounding Parise’s potentially signing with a new club after his current contract ends have been swirling all season.
“No way,” Parise said when asked if he would join the New York Rangers, the Devils’ Atlantic Division rival.
Parise said he wants to come back. That doesn’t mean he is guaranteed to come back. But, he said “No way” when asked about the Rangers.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 13, 2012
The 27-year-old Parise, a left winger, earned $6 million in 2011-12. If he doesn’t re-sign with the Devils prior to July 1, he is expected to receive hefty offers on the open market.
In addition to Parise, the Devils’ long list of players set to become unrestricted free agents this summer includes goaltenders Marrtin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg; defencemen Bryce Salvador, Peter Harrold and Jay Leach; and forwards Alexei Ponikarovsky and Ryan Carter.
Despite recovering from major knee surgery, Parise scored 31 goals in the regular season, his fifth 30-goal campaign since the lockout. He added another eight goals and seven assists in the Devils’ 24-game playoff run.
Parise said there were no negotiations that he knows of during the season. He will listen to his agents now, but he wants to be a Devil.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 13, 2012
“I like the people here,” Parise told Tom Gulitti of The Record on Wednesday.”I like the staff, my teammates. I like the area. There’s a lot of good things about this place.
“I’ve always liked playing here,” Parise said. “That’s never changed. We’ll see where this takes us right now, but this is a great place to play and I love playing here. I love being here.”
With the Devils coming two wins away from the Stanley Cup, Parise sees big things for the organization in the future.
“The future looks great. It really does. I think Adam Larsson is going to be an unbelievable defenseman in the league and I think you just saw the beginning of what (Adam) Henrique is going to do. I think he’s going to be a great player. So, the pieces are there and Travis (Zajac) has still got some years left in him. He’s still young. So, a lot of the important parts of there.”
Although the team’s ownership remains in flux, the American forward is very happy with the stability behind the bench with head coach Peter DeBoer.
“I think this is the first time in five, six years that we know who is going to be here next year, so I think everyone likes that,” he said.
“Everyone believes in Pete and what he wants to do,” Parise explained. “He did an unbelievable job. He’s a great coach and I think for everybody to know who is going to be here next year and knows what he wants to do and how good of a coach he is, you believe in what he wants.”
Will Zach Parise re-sign with the New Jersey Devils this off-season?
$(“#poll_9873”).v2Poll({poll_id: 9873});
