Revisiting the Two Most Important Signings in Minnesota Wild History

Fan Poll Results

As a lot of you know, I had a three-question poll up on twitter for 24 hours regarding Parise and Suter. I wanted to hear what fellow Wild fans thought about Parise and Suter.

I was very surprised by the poll results. It appears that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have been underwhelming and disappointing to many. I am even more surprised that over half would erase the Parise and Suter signing entirely if it was possible.

Final Thoughts

We as fans have to come to terms with the brutal reality that Parise and Suter are elite-caliber players, but neither are superstars. Zach Parise is not a Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, or Nikita Kucherov caliber winger. Ryan Suter is not an Erik Karlsson, Roman Josi, Alex Pietrangelo, or Victor Hedman caliber defenseman. I think Wild fans have the bar too high.

Fellow Gone Puck Wild contributor Brandon Quast explains that Parise and Suter have and have not lived up to his expectations. He is on the fence as:

"On one hand, our team would be a mess without them but on the other hand neither of them have delivered a Cup yet.- Brandon Quast"

Gone Puck Wild Site Expert Lake Martin explained:

"The Parise and Suter signings reignited the franchise. Gáborík had left just a few years prior and we were reeling as a team. Parise and Suter were key components of a team that strived to make playoff runs. The reality of the situation was, just adding Parise and Suter wasn’t enough to usurp the powerhouses of the time: Chicago, Vancouver, Boston. Although they built up a solid base around Parise and Suter (younger versions of Coyle, Nino, Granlund, Zucker, Brodin, Dumba, Spurgeon), it wasn’t enough production they needed to make serious Cup contentions every single season. And that should not be Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s fault."

I for sure wouldn’t erase the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signing, they have had a prominent role in leading the Wild to a six-year playoff tenure. Granted it was unsuccessful but was better than seeing a bottom team year after year. Parise and Suter have been a key part of the franchise and I think it is ridiculous to put sole blame on them for the lack of playoff success.

All Stats and Information via Evolving Hockey, NHL.com, Hockey Reference, CapFriendly & Bleacher Report