Because the waiting is the hardest part.
Keep checking social media. Keep scrolling the internet. Zach Parise will be making a decision soon on where he’ll be hanging his skates next season.
How soon? Well, no one is positive. Parise is setting no timetable or deadline.
“It’s such a long-term, important decision, you have to make sure you look at everything,” Parise told reporters.
Parise, the NHL’s most prized free agent, told reporters Monday that he wanted to fly home to Minnesota and consult his family before announcing anything. He has narrowed his list to five teams: the Devils, Wild, Penguins, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Flyers.
The Orange and Black have reportedly offered a 10-year contract worth more than $100 million. The Flyers have also made an offer for All-Star defenseman Ryan Suter.
Parise, of course, helped the Devils knock the Flyers out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored eight goals (15 points) in New Jersey’s run.
Three things to ponder about Parise …
1. Simply offensive. We all watched the Penguins series. The Flyers have one of the best offenses in the entire NHL. Adding Parise (31 goals, 38 assists) would make it historic, especially when paired on a line with Claude Giroux (28 goals, 65 assists).
2. In the line of fire. Giroux is poised to become the next Flyers captain, but maybe Peter Laviolette gives it to a guy like Parise. At 27, he’s not quite too old or too young to garner respect in the locker room. Plus, he’s already a proven commodity having played in the Olympics and Stanley Cup Finals.
3. Take that, Jersey. The revenge factor. What better way to stick it to a fierce, division rival than by stealing their best player. You don’t think losing to New Jersey in the playoffs doesn’t stick in Ed Snider’s craw? Yes, it most certainly does.
