Another Parise Update

It couldn't get much worse for the New Jersey Devils.

A 3-9-1 start, injury problems and major salary cap issues are bad enough, but today's news that winger Zach Parise will be lost for the next three months after surgery to repair an meniscus problem in his knee is utterly devastating.

But that's what the Devils have learned, a suitably depressing end to a thoroughly unsuccessful road trip. Parise, arguably the team's best player, left partway through Saturday's game in L.A. and flew home along with president/GM Lou Lamoriello to have the knee examined.

An MRI didn't reveal the precise problem, but surgery did. The club is already missing forward Brian Rolston and defencemen Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov, and the decision to spend $100 million on winger Ilya Kovalchuk has robbed the club of any flexiblity to add to the team because of the resulting salary cap problems.

Parise won't be back until February, and is a restricted free agent next summer who could be the subject of offer sheets that the Devils might find difficult to fight off because of their cap problems.

 

 

Comments

[Arthur Bailey]

The Leafs without a first round pick... are they still in contention to give Parise an offer sheet for next season? seems a no brainer to me. Leafs have the space, could definitely use Parise, and he is known commodity, where as a first round pick (if not top 3) could easily be a bust.