Dan Wallace: Parise's Wild Future

Hörnqvist/J.Johnson/3rd RP for Parise/Prospect.

Every year the cap goes up and salaries rise the contract becomes less of a problem. The issue is that guys aren't going to be able to produce. I don't think this is really the Wild's problem and even after signing Zucs to a big contract the team has some cap space.

The problem seems more that if you trade Parise or Suter you aren't going to get any real assets back because the contract is more expensive then their worth. So either you retain salary or add a lot of sweeteners to get it taken off your hands. So ultimately it doesn't become help in reloading the team with new talent.

If the wild can get useful prospects and picks now before the wheels fall off, they should. He's not going to play out the rest of his contract in full, and their cup window is not open during his limited useful time left.

The problem that the Wild have is not the Parise and Suter contracts, it's that they missed their window. They didn't win with Parise and Suter in their prime, and now the roster is so depleted that it's time to bust it down to the studs and rebuild around Dumba, Donato, Fiala, Eriksson Ek and the young kids coming up.

Exactly, the Wild as we knew it for the past 6 seasons, did indeed miss their window. The problem from the beginning was not the signing of Parise/Suter, it was failing to surround them with enough talent/skill to enhance the squads chance/window. Because lets' face it, although very good to great players and in their prime, neither individually nor together were either good enough to make it over the early outs from the post season.... and now both on the down slope of their careers there still isn't even remotely enough talent/skill to even get them to the post season.

I'm fine with a Parise trade, but ONLY if it helps build, not simply to give Parise his "last chance" at a cup. That to me would look worse on Zach than the organization. Can't shackle the team to a hugely inflated 14 year contract and then be allowed to go make your dreams come true with another squad because you missed your window. I don't think that would be fair to the Minny faithful. Zach, just like the Wild made his bed with that horrid contract, either live up to it or retire.