NHL fans speculated long and hard about where Zach Parise and Ryan Suter would end up. Who knew they’d end up landing in the same location with the same contract?
The Minnesota Wild rolled the dice and signed the talented tandem to a pair of 13-year deals. The aggressive approach is a bit of a gamble, but it should pay big dividends for Minnesota. Even if the Wild aren’t contenders right away, they’re sending the message that they’re serious about becoming a winning organization, and Minnesota has suddenly become more attractive to future free agents.
Now that the Suter and Parise sweepstakes are out of the way, the free-agent market looks even thinner. However, there’s still plenty of interesting happenings going on, including the ongoing Rick Nash trade watch.
NESN.com NHL insider Douglas Flynn caught up with Ricky Doyle to discuss the Suter and Parise signings, Nash’s situation, what the future holds for Shane Doan and whether Dominik Hasek can really make an NHL comeback.
The two also discussed the future of hockey in Phoenix, where the good hockey markets sit in case a franchise ends up relocating and where else the NHL’s Winter Classic should be held.
Listen to all the fun in the player below, or subscribe to iTunes to listen there.