Zach Parise owes nothing more to the game of hockey. After three seasons with the New York Islanders and 18 total seasons in the NHL, Parise isn't calling it a career just yet.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Zach Parise owes nothing more to the game of hockey.

From the moment the New Jersey Devils selected Parise with the No. 17 pick at the 2003 Entry Level Draft, his hard work and dedication to his game and the leadership he provided for his teammates never wavered across 18 NHL seasons. 

Parise was a pro's pro, if you will, a quiet leader who left it all out on the ice, and although he never won a Stanley Cup, he got to live his childhood dream and follow in the footsteps of his late father, J.P. Parise. 

No player ever wants to call it quits, especially a player like Parise, who is coming off a strong season with 21 goals and 13 assists in 82 games. 

On Monday, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello shared that Parise hasn't called it quits just yet, but the 29-year-old won't be present at training camp. 

"Zach Parise will not be here. Zack will be with his family," Lamoriello said. "We will see how the rest of the season goes. But right now, it's important for him to be there. He's spent a couple of years away, and so that is the decision at this point.

"To my knowledge, he is not retiring. In fact, I don't feel he will at this point."

Lamoriello continued: "The door was always open. And I think everybody knows the relationship that I have with Zach, from when he was 17 years old, and I understand, appreciate, and respect the decision where he's at. But I think that when you have a player like that, who loves the game, the way he looked and had the success he had and what he did for the team, it's a tough thing for him to make that decision so you allow him to go as long as you possibly can without pressing or asking, and I think he made the right decision for his family. And then we'll just keep the door open for him. And as I said to him, we'll keep the number open, too."

There was an inkling after the Islanders 2022-23 season came to a close following their Game 6 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes that Parise may have played his last game in the show.

From the moment Parise got off the ice, he sat at his locker in full equipment, staring into space, almost as if he was replaying his entire career in his head as teammates came over to console him on their way out.

It was devastating to witness.

Although Parise didn't speak to the media that night, nor did the media even attempt to get his thoughts then, Parise did speak on his career soon after.

"I haven't decided anything," Parise said. "I'm going to take a couple of weeks and get away from stuff for a little bit and just see where it's at, but I haven't decided anything yet."

As the summer months came and went, with no announcement on a Parise contract from the Islanders nor an announcement from Parise himself, retirement seemed to be the likely outcome.

But, as Lamoriello said, the door will remain open. 

Already a member of the 1,000-game club, Parise sits 76 games shy of reaching 1,300 for his career. He would become just the 68th player in NHL history to accomplish that feat and just the seventh American to do so.

Ironically enough, that number 76 is also the number of games Parise would have to play to tie the number of games his late father, J.P. Parise, played with the Islanders (240).

If Parise is not back this season, it will take more than one player to fill the role he would leave behind.