For those who don’t know, the New York Islanders tried to acquire forward Zach Parise from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline. The deal was, or so we believe, Andrew Ladd and Sebastian Aho for Zach Parise. Everything was falling into place; both forwards waived their no-move clause. Why did the deal fall apart again? Notice how I said again. The Islanders tried trading for Parise during the last offseason. The deal has fallen apart twice, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Parise wants to be an Islander, and the Wild are willing to take Ladd. How can the two sides get this deal done?
Retaining Salary
It’s no secret that Zach Parise has a huge contract. $7.5 million for the next five years. It’s definitely an overpay, and the Islanders don’t have cap space to overpay another player. Sending Andrew Ladd back the other way would still only take off $5.5 million of this deal. Lou Lamoriello definitely wants Bill Guerin to retain some of Parise’s salary. Remember, the Islanders have to resign Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews. And the Islanders are low on cap space; the Wild must retain some of Parise’s contract.
More Talent
Zach Parise is miles ahead of Andrew Ladd in terms of talent. Parise recorded 25 goals and 21 assists while being 36 years of age. Andrew Ladd hasn’t seen those kinds of stats since 2014 in Winnipeg. Ladd has only played 30 games in the last two years. There will be another prospect and/or draft pick going back to the Wild. For the sake of argument, let’s say the Islanders send Travis St. Denis and a 4th round pick back the other way. Denis is a solid AHLer who could crack the Wild’s roster for sure. And a 4th round pick is a 4th round pick; it could be literally anything. It’s not the best package, but it’s the only one the Wild will get.
Conclusion
The Islanders would be even more dangerous with Zach Parise on the wing. He’s a solid 3rd line option for a team that needs a 3rd line winger. This is a deal Islander, and Wild fans must look out for in the offseason.