Mave's Thoughts on Zach Parise's Future
The summer is waning, with training camp looming not that far off yet, we still have no idea whether Zach Parise will return for a third season with the New York Islanders. The Maven shares his thoughts.
Every time I think of Zach Parise these days, I'm reminded of the tune "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey?"
Only for the up-to-date Maven version, it's "Won't You Come Home, Zach Parise?"
In this case, "Home" is UBS Arena and one last season in New York Islanders' Orange and Blue.
The summer is waning, with training camp looming not that far off yet, we still have no idea whether the dipsy-doodle-dandy of 2022-23 wil do an encore for Lou Lamoriello.
There are three possibilities:
1. HE RETURNS: There are good reasons for Zach to take one more crack at the ice. This guy truly loves the game, and there's still a good buck to make; not to mention the arithmetic where numbers favor a comeback.
Parise played a full 82-game schedule plus six postseason matches. Only a guy in A-1 shape can pull off that trick. He took the playoff loss as hard as any teammate, and that tells me he'll want to try again.
He potted 21 goals -- more than anticipated -- and added 13 assists. A 34-point total for a 39-year-old hustler is not too bad, wouldn't you say?
I would.
2. HE RETIRES: Zach has nothing more to prove; not to the critics, not to the fans, and certainly not to himself. Dating from his U of North Dakota days to the 2011-12 season when he powered the New Jersey Devils to the Cup Final, his game has been high-class. It has remained so, although the numbers are down.
Parise may feel that the time has come to pack it in, and nobody -- but nobody -- would blame him for that decision. There can be no knock against this noble warrior who might feel that it's time to leave the Islanders Family for the Parise homestead in Minnesota. That certainly would not be the worst decision in the world.
3. HE'S UNDECIDED: Time and again, we've learned from the past that players who've thought they had had it reconsider through the early months of the season.
Sometimes the lure of the ice becomes irresistible, and one last run seems worth a try.
It's happened before, and it could happen to Zach.
Like the rest of the civilized world, I have no idea what Lou knows, is thinking, or has decided about this 5-11, 196-pound veteran who has been such a credit to the game.
What I do know is that Lou knows Zach only too well from Parise's Devils' days, and Zach, in turn, has worked for Lamoriello long enough to trust Lou's decision as much as his own.
My gut feeling is that Zach will give it another shot; a slapshot, not a shot at his swimming pool.
P.S. My crystal ball agrees, but my Ouija Board says no. Go figure. I can't!