Islanders Beat Ducks 4-3 EAST MEADOW, NY -- No one on the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/simon-holmstrom-jean-gabriel-pageau-new-york-islanders-duo-penalty-kill] roster can emulate the energy Zach Parise [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/new-york-islanders-zach-parise-undecided-about-future-teammates-react] played with over his two seasons on Long Island. Parise's decision to spend time with his family before returning for a 19th NHL season was understandable, as he had been away from his wife and kids since signing with the Islanders in the summer of 2021 after being bought out by the Minnesota Wild. "I think it would be here or nowhere, but I just feel like that's how it would be," were the words of Parise back in April. Ahead of training camp, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/news/zach-parise-new-york-islanders-18-seasons-usa-nhl-retirement] said that the door would always remain open for Parise to return, as well as his No. 11. "Zach Parise will not be here. Zach 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." Back on Oct. 20, The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported that Parise was skating in Minnesota. On Thursday, '32 Thoughts' shared that Parise was "skating pretty hard in Minnesota" and that the Islanders are the likely landing spot when he's ready. There were no more specific offered than that, so very little is known regarding Parise's timetable and if the Islanders are the team he's going to return to, as according to Johnston [https://theathletic.com/5138302/2023/12/14/zach-parise-return-nhl-islanders/]'s latest, multiple teams have shown interest in the veteran forward. But here's the question. Is Parise a need or a want? Early in the year, the struggles of Anders Lee [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/anders-lee-new-york-islanders-2023-stanley-cup-playoffs-28-goals-captain] and the lack of production from the Islanders' third line made it clear that Parise and his 20-plus goal potential were needed along with his penalty-kill prowess, given the issues there early this season. But now, given the play of the depth forwards already on the roster, with the top-six playing like an actual top-six forward group, that need for Parise is no longer there. Anders Lee [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/anders-lee-new-york-islanders-mathew-barzal-bo-horvat], back on the top line, has done what he's had to do, and it's benefitted Bo Horvat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/anders-lee-new-york-islanders-mathew-barzal-bo-horvat] and Mathew Barzal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/anders-lee-new-york-islanders-mathew-barzal-bo-horvat] immensely. Simon Holmstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/simon-holmstrom-jean-gabriel-pageau-new-york-islanders-duo-penalty-kill#:%7e:text=The%20Islanders%20penalty%20kill%20has,shorthanded%2C%20per%20Naturalstatrick.com.]'s offense has come alive, with eight goals and three assists in 27 games, and has been a force on the penalty kill with a league-leading four shorthanded goals. Since getting back into the lineup, Julien Gauthier [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/julien-gauthier-new-york-islanders-lane-lambert-mathew-barzal] has done everything to remain a starter, using his speed to help the Islanders transition game, with that speed also proving to be a difference maker on the forecheck. "He beat out an icing. He drove wide and had kind of a breakaway and took it across the crease," Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said following their 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. "It's a fast game, and that speed helps us a lot." What Hudson Fasching [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/hudson-fasching-new-york-islanders-2022-23-zach-parise-extension] has been able to do alongside Casey Cizikas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/casey-cizikas-new-york-islanders-300-goal-milestone-800-games-played-2023-24] and Cal Clutterbuck [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/cal-clutterbuck-new-york-islanders-stan-fischler-dynasty-teams] hasn't gone unnoticed, bringing back to the surface that spark-plug game we saw a year ago. "I thought Fasching was outstanding," Lambert said. "I thought he drove his legs and really helped [his linemates]." Everything is coming together for the Islanders, winners of four straight games, with a record of 6-0-1 in their last seven games. They currently sit second in the Metropolitan Division. The offense is scoring 3.07 goals per game, with three or more goals in eight straight games. The power play is operating at 24.4 percent, good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. The penalty kill struggled mightily early on but has killed off 10 of their last 13 and is slowly but surely working its way up from the basement of the NHL. If Parise were to come back, one would think it would be a bottom-six, penalty-kill role, going back alongside Pageau, where he played more often than not over his two-year stay on the island. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyOTI2NjczMjA3NzYzOTgw/usatsi_17118946.jpg] That would likely mean Gauthier drops from the third line to the fourth or just becomes the 13th forward. But do the Islanders want to mess with the chemistry of that line, or any line for that matter? Parise returning would only strengthen the Islanders' depth, but does a player who took a few months off want to return if he isn't going to be a starter? There's no question that if he isn't in the lineup, Parise would be the first forward in. Oliver Wahlstrom [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/oliver-wahlstrom-new-york-islanders-contract-qualifying-offer-injury-free-agency]'s time on the island might be numbered at this point as he hasn't heard his name called since Dec. 2, a game where Barzal was out due to illness. Matt Martin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/matt-martin-900-game-milestone-new-york-islanders-clutterbuck-cizikas-martin-lambert] hasn't played since Nov. 15 and is currently on injured reserve for the second time with the same injury (upper body). Financially, the Islanders have $3.025 million in cap space due to Adam Pelech [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/game-day/new-york-islanders-adam-pelech-matt-martin] being on long-term injured reserve, per CapFriendly [https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/islanders], which means New York can go over the cap by his $5.75 million cap hit. With the latest acquisitions of Mike Reilly [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/mike-reilly-new-york-islanders-boston-bruins-stanley-cup-playoffs] and Robert Bortuzzo [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-ryan-pulock-ir-acquire-robert-bortuzzo], the Islanders have $3.025 million to work with but will have to be cap-compliant if they want to activate Pelech (eligible to be activated on Dec. 19). Parise would likely sign back for the league minimum of $750,000. The problem, outside of what would be a minor cap situation, is the Islanders are rostering 23, which is the max. So, even before Pelech can be activated, the Islanders would need to waive or trade a player or add someone to injured reserve, like Scott Mayfield [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/players/scott-mayfield-new-york-islanders-injury-ankle-season-2023-24-contract] (day-to-day, upper body), to create another spot and then play that game for the foreseeable future. As for who could be the odd man out, the Islanders are currently rostering seven defensemen, not including Ryan Pulock [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-ryan-pulock-ir-acquire-robert-bortuzzo] (lower body, injured reserve) or Pelech, so it's likely that one or two defensemen would need to be removed from the roster, whether it's a Bortuzzo, a Sebastian Aho or a Samuel Bolduc. There's no question his Islanders teammates would be ecstatic if he does decide to return. And there's no question the Islanders would be a deeper team. But right now, Parise is a major want, not a major need for the Islanders. Parise's agent, Wade Arnott, has not returned The Hockey News’ inquiry for comment. You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York [https://www.youtube.com/@hockeynightny] with co-host Sean Cuthbert [https://twitter.com/seanyhockey] live on Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny [https://www.twitch.tv/hockeynightny]. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAyOTA3MTA5MzYzNDkxODUy/hockey-night.jpg]
