Let's Go Blues

Both deals are 13 years. Parise will make $98 mill.

Edit: Suter also $98 mill.

Personally I don't like these lifelong contracts.

Let's break this down...

Detroit doesn't get any better because they didn't get either Parise or Suter... technically speaking, they should be worse because of Lidstrom's retirement and Hudler leaving for Calgary
Nashville gets worse, by far--and they'll probably look for suitors for Shea Weber now, so they're even worse when it's all said and done, plus Radulov went back to Russia.
Minnesota was already semi-decent. This gives them a couple of good leaders who will definitely take them to the playoffs, but they still have question marks elsewhere that I don't think they'll be able to address very easily given how much money Parise and Suter are now making.

Minnesota just seems very random to me. Neither player had any kind of major connection to the team, Minnesota hasn't been any kind of contender for the cup (well now they are) and these two were getting mega offer sheets from Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Very surprised. It'll be interesting to see how the Wild tweek the roster now. They're also going to be hurting with Heatley still commanding a $7.5 cap hit and Koivu with $6.75. That's a hell of a lot of salary tied up in four guys and I doubt anyone wants Heatley anymore.

Parise is from Minnesota

What the (Frank)?

glen a richter wrote:Parise is from Minnesota

And lots of players are from Canada...

So just to recap, Wild sign Parise and Suter, Stars sign Jagr, Whitney and get Roy, and the Blues sign Woywitka.

WaukeeBlues wrote:

glen a richter wrote:Parise is from Minnesota

And lots of players are from Canada...

Exactly. What are you missing?

WaukeeBlues wrote:

glen a richter wrote:Parise is from Minnesota

And lots of players are from Canada...

WaukeeBlues wrote:Minnesota just seems very random to me. Neither player had any kind of major connection to the team...

So the fact that Parise is from Minnesota doesn't qualify as a connection? It's called the kid wanted to play for his hometown team.

1) Parise is from Minneapolis.
2) Suter claimed family and personal reasons. Bigger reason - he gets the chance to be THE #1 defenseman.

Still shocked the Wild pulled this off.

I'm sure the money certainly helped, and in spite of what Lou Lam had been saying about the Devils financial situation not being an issue, I think that in this case, Parise's decision actually did come down to more than dollar signs.

Parise was the captain, threw it all away. Now I think Minnesota will get the next Winter Classic and I wonder who will get the "C" for the Devils.

glen a richter wrote:

WaukeeBlues wrote:

glen a richter wrote:Parise is from Minnesota

And lots of players are from Canada...

WaukeeBlues wrote:Minnesota just seems very random to me. Neither player had any kind of major connection to the team...

So the fact that Parise is from Minnesota doesn't qualify as a connection? It's called the kid wanted to play for his hometown team.

My point was that the majority of NHL'ers are from Canada but we don't see an annual free agent march to Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, etc just because a free agent got an offer from their "hometown team." If anything it's the opposite.

I get it. But I'm just sayin'

So yes, I spoke too soon, both had connections to the area. But nevertheless, I really gotta wonder why the hometown desire was THAT great to sign a 13 year deal with a team that has made the playoffs exactly once in it's existence, when (both of them) just left teams that had already experienced playoff success? Still random to me.

edit: Maybe "shocked" is the better word. I'm sure the dollars were a huge part of it but both of them are taking a VERY big gamble on lifting a franchise essentially by themselves. We'll see...

I think this is excellent news for us. No big team we need to worry about bulked up with them and I can go with Parise' and Suter's rationale.

STLADOGG wrote:Parise was the captain, threw it all away. Now I think Minnesota will get the next Winter Classic and I wonder who will get the "C" for the Devils.

If it wasn't against the rules, I'd suggest Brodeur. He's been there for all of their success and would be someone immediately respected in the New Jersey locker room just for that alone.

STLADOGG wrote:So just to recap, Wild sign Parise and Suter, Stars sign Jagr, Whitney and get Roy, and the Blues sign nobody worth mentioning by name.

FTFY.