The New York Islanders are interested in signing veteran forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter — two mainstays of the Minnesota Wild that were bought out earlier this offseason — as first reported by Larry Brooks of the New York Post and later confirmed by amNewYork Metro.
The Islanders’ roster is in the process of noticeable tweaks to the core of a roster that had remained relatively unchanged for the better part of the previous two seasons. Over the last week, they’ve parted ways with Nick Leddy and Andrew Ladd before losing first-line winger Jordan Eberle to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft on Wednesday night.
As they look for a big signing to replace Eberle on the first line alongside Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee, Parise could be seen as a legitimate third-line option on the left-wing that will come on a shorter, cheaper deal. His better days are certainly behind him, as evident by his seven-goal, 11-assist season in 45 games on Minnesota’s fourth line. However, he’s just two years removed from a 25-goal campaign and would likely see a bump in production if he were to be slotted onto the Islanders’ third line, which is projected to feature Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom.
Suter, who is the same age as Parise at 36, is still capable of making sizable contributions to any team’s blue line; more specifically as a second-pairing defenseman. The Islanders provide an obvious fit considering they just traded Leddy to the Detroit Red Wings, meaning there’s an opening on the left side of Scott Mayfield in New York.
Suter had recorded at least 40 points in each season from 2015-2020 and still averaged 22 minutes per game last year on a Wild team that made the playoffs.
