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Minnesota Wild: Players Most Likely To Be Traded This Season

By Luke Ryan

DENVER, CO - APRIL 06: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche with his bench at the Pepsi Center on April 6, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 4-3. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 06: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche with his bench at the Pepsi Center on April 6, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 4-3. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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WINNIPEG, MB - APRIL 13: Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild keeps an eye on the play during first period action against the Winnipeg Jets in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on April 13, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jets defeated the Wild 4-1 to lead the series 2-0. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB – APRIL 13: Zach Parise #11 of the Minnesota Wild keeps an eye on the play during first period action against the Winnipeg Jets in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on April 13, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jets defeated the Wild 4-1 to lead the series 2-0. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /

I’d Be Shocked: Zach Parise

This would be a truly shocking turn of events. The likelihood of new Minnesota Wild General Manager, Paul Fenton ditching this contract is highly unlikely.

But, stranger things have happened in the NHL.

Maybe there’s a team that see the chance to put the oft-injured Zach Parise on long-term injured reserve in a couple of years’ time and see out his years, getting paid to be injured.

It seems crazy, but it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened in the NHL. Look at Stephane Robidas or Joffrey Lupul with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both sat out the tail end of the contracts on long-term injured reserve. David Clarkson and Nathan Horton also spring to mind.

The real challenge there is that Parise needs to be genuinely injured so as not to count towards a rosters’ ongoing cap space.

Whilst he has had his injury issues, last campaign was the first where he only appeared in half of the team’s games.

A $7.5 million cap hit until the 2024-25 season is a hard sell on anyone, especially since loading the prospect cupboard and turning an organisation around these days only seems to take five years, at most.

Long gone too is the player that produced 94 points for the New Jersey Devils back in the 2008-09 campaign. These days, you’re looking at a player that can be relied upon for somewhere in the realm of 40 to 50 points a season.

Not exactly elite level statistics, especially given he’s a player turning 35 next birthday!

I’m putting this in the bucket of ‘far too hard’ which means if it does happen, Paul Fenton is a truly impressive General Manager and I’ll be sure to tip my hat to him!

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