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Pennucci on Parise & free agent tidbits from around the NHL

July 3, 2012, 11:32 AM ET [667 Comments]
John Toperzer
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Is today the day? Zach Parise gets "closer" to making a decision



Why The Penguins Will Love Zach Parise
By Dan Pennucci
Twitter @dpennucci

Two days of free agency and utterly rampant speculation has best characterized the mood around Zach Parise, the New Jersey Devils’ captain who is the prize of this summer’s free agent pool. As of Tuesday morning, Parise is contemplating offers from as many as six teams ranging from Pittsburgh, his hometown Minnesota Wild and coming back to New Jersey, the team with whom Parise has spent his entire seven-year career. Statistically, Parise has established himself as one of the NHL’s top left wings, cracking 30 goals in five of his six full NHL seasons, as the dynamic winger missed all but 13 games in the 2010-2011 season due to knee surgery. He has broken 80 points twice in his career, topping out at 94 in the 2008-09 season while he has earned the reputation as one of the hardest working players in the league.

By now, to Pittsburgh fans, it is no secret that Parise and Sidney Crosby played their prep school hockey together at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota, with Crosby living with the Parise family during some of his tenure there. If Parise does sign with Pittsburgh, the Penguins may have to issue a restraining order against NBC analyst Pierre McGuire (or at the very least, put a barrier in his ice-level booth) to keep him from running on the ice and hugging Parise and Crosby. Odds are McGuire will mention Shattuck St. Mary’s and Parise being a steal in the 2003 draft at least once every time he’s on the air. However, the prospect of Parise playing alongside Sid is tantalizing.

Both players have a work rate that massively separates them from their peers. They are tireless two-way players with a tremendous hockey sense. Parise’s tenacity on the ice helps create turnovers and he’s an absolute handful down low near the net, as evidenced by this goal in Game 5 of the Cup Finals against Los Angeles. He doesn’t launch too many slap shots, but Parise has a quick relase and great vision in the offensive zone. On the power play, Parise sets up down below the goal line and rotates toward the goal when pucks are put on net, but Parise’s acceleration through the neutral zone is what can separate him from the opposition. If he and Crosby, two of the league’s top skaters, play on the same line, defensemen will be hard-pressed to get a body on them.

However, it is Parise’s intangibles that make him such an attractive player to most teams. He’s a quiet leader, setting the example with his play on the ice. He’s excellent in his own zone and on the forecheck and seemingly always in the right position. Not that the Penguins are hurting for players to take attempts in the shootout with Crosby and Kris Letang, but Parise is solid there as well, as seen here with what has become his patented backhand shootout move.

Parise’s decision could come as soon as Tuesday evening, according to Devils’ beat writer Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record, but you can hardly fault the guy for wanting to deliberate a while longer on where to spend the next 10 years of his life. Parise left his agent’s office in suburban Toronto Monday evening and returned to Minnesota with his family and fiancée, according to published reports. The Newark Star-Ledger’s Rich Chere was told by Parise’s agent, Wade Arnott, that the winger has “asked for some time to step back (and) review things…” Parise would make an outstanding addition to any squad and may be the final piece to most teams seeking a Stanley Cup.

Twitter @dpennucci


Many thanks to Mr. Pennucci for sharing his timely thoughts and insight as a long-time Devils writer & NHL Analyst

*****


Zach Parise:

“We’re getting closer than yesterday, just gonna go back and talk to my family and go from there, but we’re definitely closer... I’m not putting a deadline on anything.”

Well, thank goodness for that.

NHL Network analyst Craig Button offered this insightful nugget.

“Zach Parise’s getting married this summer,” Button said. “His wife may want to work. She may look at the Michigan area and go ‘wait a second, unemployment’s really high and everything. These are significant factors.”

Mrs. Parise is worried about finding a job? Really? I understand Button’s idea that a lot goes into making a big decision but to speculate that Parise is worried about his wife’s ability to find a job because of high unemployment is just downright funny.


Alex Semin:

All too frequently, the best thing that can be said about Semin is that he’s not as bad as everyone says he is. Look at his plus-minus. Damning someone with faint praise is the key operative when discussion Semin.

Here’s what Semin had to say about Sidney Crosby in an article on Yahoo! four years ago.

“What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago ... [Kane] is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb.

I think that if you take any player, even if he is "dead wood," and start promoting him, you'll get a star. Especially if he scores 100 points. No one is going to care about anyone else. No one is going to care whether he possesses great skill. Let's say you put someone in front of the net and let him deflect pucks in, and he scored 50 goals; everyone will say "Wow!" and then hand him a $10 million per year contract. That's what they like here.”




Martin Brodeur & Ray Whitney:

The key to getting a two-year, $9 million contract is that you’ve got to be 40 years of age, apparently. Both Brodeur and Whitney got the same terms.

It’s good to see Brodeur finish out his career with the Devils. Forty-year-old goalies find it hard to stay healthy, so it will be interesting to see if the future HHOFer can find a way to stay on the ice. Of course, Johan Hedberg also agreed to stick with the Devils, so he’ll continue to take over when Brodeur can’t go.

I hope Whitney wasn’t counting on Steve Ott to back him up at all in Dallas. Ott was traded to Buffalo for Derek Roy and Adam Pardy. Things just got a lot softer in the Lone Star State. With 156 PIMs, Ott was the only player with 100-plus penalty minutes for the Stars.



Carey Price:

Price’s price -- six years, $39 million -- carries an AAV of $6.5 million. Montreal has beefed up security (or at least grit) in front of him in the offseason, adding Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong. Price will still only be 25 when the next season starts, despite being around for what seems like a long time.



Jiri Hudler

So Jiri Hudler couldn’t get as much as Ville Leino did a summer ago? Leino got $27 million for six years with the Sabres. Hudler wrangled only $16 million out of the Flames for four seasons. Being an ex-Detroit Red Wings must be the key. Now if Brett Lebda gets $20 million-plus …



Enjoy the rest of your Zach Parise day. We may have a guest feature blog later on the site today or tomorrow. Stay tuned!


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Treasure Life!
JT
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