December 14, 2023 | 7:01pm ET
By Anthony LaRocco, TheFourthPeriod.com
PARISE RETURNING TO THE ISLANDERS?
Zach Parise, forward
NEW YORK, NY — The New York Islanders find themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now.
After Wednesday night’s 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks, the Islanders now sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division and are 6-0-1 in their last seven games; they have collected points in their last 13 of 14 games (9-1-4).
Now, they may be getting back veteran forward Zach Parise.
Parise, 39, played the last two seasons for the Islanders, tallying 21 goals last year and being an integral part of the Islanders third line alongside center J-G Pageau and Simon Holmstrom. Parise opted to remain home with his family in Minnesota for the start of training camp instead of joining the Islanders for another season.
This past September, however, Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello left the door open for a possible return saying that there would be a spot on the roster should Parise decide to resume his NHL career. That time may be drawing near as earlier today Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported a reunion could be in the offing.
“Not sure yet what it means for an NHL return, but Zach Parise’s been skating pretty hard in Minnesota,” Friedman wrote in his latest ’32 Thoughts’ column. “I assume, when ready, it will be the Islanders.”
It has been known that Parise had resumed skating shortly after the NHL season began in October, but with his training ramping up it could certainly mean that he is preparing to return to the NHL with the Islanders.
During exit interviews last spring, when asked about his playing future, Parise surmised it would be the Islanders or nowhere when it came to where he would play if he chose to return for an 18th season. If Parise does in fact return to the Islanders this season, it is believed he will be reunited with Pageau and Holmstrom, whom he had good chemistry with last season.
The Islanders currently have $3.025 million in LTIR overage salary cap space and may eventually need to clear extra cap space once defenceman Adam Pelech is ready to come off LTIR with a hand injury.
Despite his age, Parise’s goal scoring touch in the dirty areas and contagious hard work will be a welcomed addition to the Islanders lineup. One area where Parise has been solely missed is the penalty kill. This season, the Islanders own the 29th worst ranked PK, operating at 72.6%. The addition of Parise should help in that category.
The Minneapolis native has played in 1,224 games amassing 429 goals, 450 assists for 879 career points over parts of 17 NHL seasons for the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders.