As far as trades are concerned.... There's one big name that I don't recall reading about that could possibly be moved. Up to this point there has been literally no discussions about the New Jersey Devils signing Zack Parise. Parise will become a free agent in July. I love Parise, I have a Parise jersey and really do want him to stay a Devil. On the opposite side of that though... I would really hate to see him walk away from this team and the team get nothing in return. The Devils are going to be having a very, very interesting future with Brodeur probably going into more of a backup role if they resign him at the end of the season. Kovalchuck and Parise could very well be the future of this team (If Zack stays that is). I'd hate to see him go, but here in New Jersey it's nervous times...
As far as I'm concerned, he's as good as gone, because Parise has already stated publicly that not only is money is a factor (something the Devils do not have, as they are teetering on the verge of bankruptcy), but that a chance to win a Cup will be the make-or-break factor when deciding where to sign this summer. I get you're a fan, but objectively speaking, do you
really think the Devils are in any position to be among Stanley Cup contenders talk?
Consider the following:
1. The Devils have Elias, Savlador, Sykora, Boulton, Hedberg and Brodeur all on the wrong side of 35, Tallinder and Zubrus (both 33) are also rapidly approaching that mark.
2. They have no promising goaltending prospects and have both their Hall-of-Fame starter in Brodeur, and their relatively reliable back-up flirting dangerously close to retirement. Who exactly is going to stop the puck for your club when you factor in that the dollars backing the club are scarce at the moment? What elite free agent would even consider signing there with such a shaky guarantee on real life dollars? If the financial worries don't subside, and subside quickly, you're best bet is going to be in trying to sign a guy like Mike Smith at a discount and hope like hell that "potential" projects into performance. History, however, isn't on your side in that respect.
3. You're currently sitting on an estimated $26M in available cap-space heading into this summer where you are facing numerous questions with regard to who to re-sign, discounting Parise for the moment, including UFA's Salvador, Foster, Sykora, Mills, Bernier, Janssen, Carter, Ponikarovsky, Brodeur and Hedberg, as well as RFA's Taormina and Fayne. How do you propose they fill our a [competitive] roster when they've already dedicated $20M between Volchenkov, Tallinder, Elias and Kovalchuk alone?
Yes, technically speaking you'll have $26M available to spend, but you have more than 11 positions to fill on the roster, including both a starting and back-up goaltender, as well as two top-4 defenseman. The money is a lot tighter than you might think provided you can even spend to the cap to begin with.
4. There isn't a single impact prospect in your prospect pool not already on the club (Larsson).
Sorry, man, but IMO you may as well start saying your goodbyes now, because as painful as it is to think about, Parise is very likely to walk come July 1st, and as if the pain of losing him wasn't bad enough, the Rangers reportedly have him on their radar, so there's a significant chance your nightmare could get even worse having to watch your star player yet again sign with your most hated divisional rival.
And for the record, Parise (on paper) would fit the Rangers club to a tee. Impact scoring two-way left wing who is not only comfortable, but excels in playing in a defensive system? My bet is Sather already has the offer printed up.