Parrish clears waivers
Posted on July 30th, 2008 – 11:11 AMBy Michael Russo
As expected because of the three years left on his contract worth $8.35 million, Mark Parrish has cleared waivers. The Wild will immediately proceed with buying him out, and thus he’ll immediately become a free agent, sources say.
I’m sure teams will have interest, but waivers weren’t appealing when you know you could get him cheaper and probably for less term on a free-agent contract rather than inheriting his current contract.
As reported in today’s Strib, the Wild will buy Parrish out for two-thirds, or $5,566,667. As for that cap hit, the team can spread the cap hit over six years to lessen the pain. Instead of a $2.65 million cap hit in each of the next three years, it’ll have a $727,778 cap hit in Years 1 and 2 and a $927,778 cap hit in Years 3-6.
For this year, the Wild saves $1,922,222 against the cap, and now has a cap scaled back to $52,649,277.
I’m looking at Paragraph 13 of the standard player contract right now, Parrish will get his money over six years. However, according to Exhibit 21 of the collective bargaining agreement, it also reads to me that Parrish can “assign the club’s payout obligation to a third party in order to enable him to receive a lump sum payout.”
I’d take the lump sum 
I forgot to mention, when I talked to Parrish last night, he told me his agent, John Vollan, spent the day calling teams to gauge their interest in him. So at the very least, Vollan probably got a head start on working out a free-agent deal. I mentioned a bunch of possible teams in last night’s blog. Forgot to mention Nashville as a possibility.
138 Responses to "Parrish clears waivers"
Well, like I said in a previous blog post, I think he still has some good puck left in him and I hope he gets a good deal somewhere and gets his game back up to his level with a system that fits him better. I understand why they did it but I’m starting to get sick of DR and JL. Anybody else?
Alas, while I feel bad for MP, I do not think he will be ‘grumpy’ when he cashes that check.
Besides, he can fuel his competitiveness and try to make another squad.
But, 5 mil (less taxes and agent fees) is a pretty good cushion to get you started on your new career.
Nobody knows who the leader is.
just because you don’t have a C on your sweater, doesn’t mean you ain’t a leader.
The captain in hockey is old tradition. Leaders are leaders regardless if they are a captain or not.
I wonder if buffalo frets about this rotating C as much as we do.
Anybody else?
not me.
Parrish will live to play another day. Good luck Grumpy.
If Parrish was really going to make a fresh start, he could take a chunk of that “lump sum” and give it back to the season ticket holders on the team of 18,000 who watched him dog it for two years.
Two years ago, Buffalo had co-captains: Briere and Drury for the year.
The rotating captain works fine as long as there was strong leadership in the locker room ie Walz. When the team looks like its lacking leadership is when a permanent Captain is needed. This might not be the case. We are not in the locker room. They might be fine.
Now we get to hear how “cheap” the Wild are because they are 3-4 million under the cap, great.
For this year, the Wild saves $1,922,222 against the cap
Smolinski played for $2 million last year - woould/could DR sign him for $1.5?
This is a good move for both sides. Parish did not have a role here but I do think he has some puck left in him somewhere for a cheaper contract and a shorter term. The Wild needed cap space to have some flexibility and now they have it. Good luck Mark.
Darn it. I was hoping someone would pick him up so that we would not be on the hook for his salary.
I am a little tired of DR having the right idea of the type of player we need but going out and getting a B-version of that player. I get that sometimes you just never know how they will perform on a certain team - no chemistry and such. The Parrish deal is an expensive mistake that will be felt for a long time.
Damn–I wasn’t referring to the old Celtics center when I typed that. Just never was good when I took typing in 8th grade.
G*, I posted the following at the end of the last entry. Looks like Sunshine already made the same point.
You are correct, a leader is a leader even if there is no C on their sweater. However, if we are lacking a leader (I don’t know) appointing one certainly helps to fill that void.
6GS: If DR goes out and signs another player for $1.5 million in short order, doesn’t that make his whole premise of cap flexibilty moot? He, then, just wanted to get rid of Parrish. Its different in that you are giving Parrish’s spot to a rookie, you already have him under contract and it will much cheaper. However, to go out in the market, it will be a slap in the face.
Don’t you think?
Anybody else?
When you look at a team that is close to the cap, you need also to look at who is making more than their position warrants. I’ve long thought that based on salary vs. performance, that Parrish was sticking out like a sore thumb. Indeed, he was the worst value on the team ($88,000 per point) last season, ESPECIALLY when you consider that he was brought here to score goals, not play PK or fill some other minor role.
On defense, the one that sticks out is Kim Johnsson ($180,000/pt) for a supposedly offensive defenseman. (Only Carney cost more per point, but he was supposed to be a stay-at-home D-man.) Now, if he can transform himself into a defensive stud like Schultz, then I’d say his salary is warranted.
The Parrish deal is an expensive mistake that will be felt for a long time
which is ironic because when at the deadline, some of these player sign contracts for more money and longer term than the parrish, we are up in arms when we don’t get them. DR took a risk with parrish and now it is called an expensive mistake. If he doesn’t make signings like this he is called timid and cheap.
Good luck to Grumpy!
Upperduck, Wah! I feel so sorry for you spending your $$ (a choice you made) on hockey tickets. If you don’t want them, I’m sure there is someone who does.
VoR, $/pt is probably not a good way to rate a defenseman. I don’t know what a better way would be. TOI/goals against during that time maybe?
Green*:
No doubt about it, DR did take a risk. At the time, it might have been a good risk, he was 29 in his prime, coming off a 29 goal campaign. Now, it just turned out to be an expensive risk, that’s all.
Goody - I don’t typically look at D-men that way, nor should most players be looked at like that. (You can’t look at Fridge like that since it wasn’t his job to put the lotion in the basket, it was his job to make room for Gabs.)
I do, however, think that KJ is overpaid, and I used that number to lend some credence to my assertion. I think he’s a Top 4 guy, but generally, not a good value as offensive defensemen go, nor is he particularly physical. He’s serviceable, but a serviceable defenseman should not be paid $4.85M/y.
Would rather have kept Parrish than added Nolan.
Why does everyone keep knocking Nolan? He was a needed addition…
Maybe because he is not a Minnesotan….
I just don’t think he was a needed addition at the money we’re throwing at him. His production has dropped every year since 2001. As for what Dougie Ballgame does now that he has cleared a little more Cap space; he better do nothing because he is on record that this move was to clear space. So if he goes out and signs player “A” for 2 yrs, $3.7 million; we’ll know that his reasoning for dumping Parrish was because JL didn’t care for him. Period.
At least then we know that DR is listening to JL.
sunshine and DB - I see your point but the C spot is thin (see attempts to sign Morrision and trade for OJ) so that could justify it and DR never tells us what he is going to do anyway (see Nolan after the “we’re done” comment). If he could get a decent fit player at $1.5, the Wild still improved its cap space slightly for this year and perhaps more so in coming years. All that said, I will say that a trade for a C is more likely but Smolinski does seem to me to be a good fit for cheap. Mostly, my comments are motivated by the C issue. I am all for giving Benny a shot but if Mikko or Shep go down, DR could be forced to make an unfavorable trade.
At least then we know that DR is listening to JL.
Nice
Hickory, dickory, dock
this buyout is not a shock.
Five mil’ in the bank,
Russotans to thank,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
VoR: I thought we put this old, tired, “KJ is overpaid” argument to bed a long time ago courtesy of Jeff Finger and Toronto’s GM.
I’m not sure if this was brought up in a different thread… because honestly, I don’t have the time to read through all the comments… but it was alluded to above.
Not that I am against this move (Parrish was a fan favorite, a local boy, but also overpaid), but I think doing this to Yawnson’s awful contract would have been a better move. But I suppose… we were heavy on forwards.
Jeff Finger and Toronto’s GM.
I know, I don’t want to rehash that debate, but Toronto’s stupidity does not justify KJ’s salary.
What did DR say the reason for this was? To clear cap space so he’d have room to do something later? I get the feeling to some of you ‘later’ means at the trade deadline. What if he meant ‘later this week’ or ‘later this month’.
IMO, DR could sign for a guy at 12:45 today and he wouldn’t be contradicting himself. Sure, he’d be immediately using that cap space he cleared, but wasn’t the point of clearing it to allow room to make some moves?
If DR did it to make room and then for some unforeseen reason Pittsburgh decided to trade STK for Veilluex, and DR used up the room he just made by buying out Parrish, would he be crucified?
This just in, several sources have confirmed the Wild are about to sign little known center Taro Tsujimoto to a multi-year deal!
JL is in a much better position to judge a Captainship than any of us. He does not operate in a vacuum and my observation is that he does consider individual players ego’s in his decisions.
I think a permanent Captaincy is a non-issue. There are leaders in every locker room.
When JL determines the need for a C, he will issue it. JL is about as close to a hockey God as there is in the business.
DR took a risk with parrish and now it is called an expensive mistake. If he doesn’t make signings like this he is called timid and cheap.
This also applies to Johnnson, not signing him would have probably led the Wild to retain Kuba at $3.5 million. But maybe the Johnsson contract bashers just miss Kuba - I wish DR would not have sold Johnsson as a point producer when JL probably planned all along to use #5 as a premier “clear the zone” guy. That JL/DR disconnect story has a lot of chapters to it!
If Parrish does sign with another team and can’t get number 21, will he need to change the name of his charitable foundation to the new number? That could be a hassle.
zigtron, from last thread, did you talk to Toews at the party before or after Bina let him out of the police car?
Iginla50goals… is that supposed to be some joke… who is Taro Tsujimoto
Waive Lemaire, this team has done nothing under his direction. And his public criticism of Parrish was crap. Way to appease the fans by cutting the home town favorite. The honeymoon is over MN Wild, you’re officially on my !@#$ list!
Are we planning on keeping anybody?
So long Gaborik, mark my words he will be traded this year. Back to suck ass sports like the rest of Minnesota teams.
Good point, Goody. However, getting Smolinksi or just a C might be more of a lateral move.
DR needs to make a big impact move to justify carrying out the financial burden for 6 years. Smolinksi is not it. It doesn’t have to come this year, but it has to come in the next three years or DR just wasted money.
Its not like we were over the cap like the Bruins. We still had room — not a whole lot but adequate. Could we have played Parrish one more year then bought him out next summer or move him when his contract was down to 2 years remaining and more easy to swallow for other teams?
DR has to use this savings wisely — no more Simon, Hall, or Moore moves. It has to be worth it.
Google him, JohnsonFan…
Taro Tsujimoto — fake Japanese draftee of I want to say the Senators or some NHL team.
This just in, several sources have confirmed the Wild are about to sign little known center Taro Tsujimoto to a multi-year deal!
(e4)
Are we planning on keeping anybody?
Just a couple of has-beens and never-will-bes by the names of Brent Burns, Nick Schultz, Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.
“I’m starting to get sick of DR and JL. Anybody else?”
This move is not the straw that broke the camels back. He frees up cap space but who is the genius that signed him for so long? That’s like me breaking my moms vase and telling her I cleaned up the glass so she won’t step in it. So what? I still broke her vase.
Failing to re-sign Gaborik will cost Risebrough his job. End of story.
Failing to re-sign Gaborik will cost Risebrough his job. End of story.
Unless he can find a team to trade him for Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, and a 2009 1st round draft pick.
DR would still be fired if he got those three.
Considering Atlanta was about to lose Hossa for nothing, I’d say that was a damn good deal.
This is a move that had to be made, but it does clealry show that the original signing of Parrish was an error, but I doubt too many people could have predicted it at the time. He has just not panned out like the Wild hoped. And while eating his contract sucks, I think the effect of having that count against the cap over the next few years is pretty minimal (and please, let’s cut out all the hometown favorite crap, the guy was eating popcorn for most of the latter part of the season).
I think DR’s plan would be for Gilles to take that spot but I would have to imagine that his performance in camp will affect that decision some. IIRC Gilles is a center and a big, physical guy. Two things the wild need.
Also, does anyone else think that part of DR’s motivation for freeing up cap space is to make room to sign Gabby?
So I think that, while a little painful to swallow all around, this was a move that had to be made. I agree with Lucky that if DR fails to re-sign Gabby he will be on the hot seat.
I would have thought that having a few guys on the team who specialize in “garbage goals” would have been a serious plus. DR has repeatedly talked about how the league has moved to garbage goals, yet we let a garbage goal specialist go. I would have thought the message should have been, “shoot the puck” and see if Parrish, Brunette and a few others could capitalize this year. The skate and pass that went on last year doesn’t get the puck in the net!
If DR uses this cap space to solve the Center hole we have, I will be content. However, if we are now eating a six year empty cap hit and we don’t get anything to justify that move, it is one more serious issue I have with DR.
Having a native Minnesotan on the Wild lineup is about as important as having a South Dakota resident on Mt Rushmore.
And, whether we have a permanent captain has about the same level of importance.
JL is about as close to a living hockey God as there is in the NHL. It is not as if he ignores the egos of his team. I am just fine with who he picks and how he picks them.
Besides, every locker room has leaders. Those guys would not ever get to the NHL if they did not have some leadership ability.
Also, does anyone else think that part of DR’s motivation for freeing up cap space is to make room to sign Gabby?
No - Gabby has to play this year under his current deal - an extension is what is being negotiated now.
DR has repeatedly talked about how the league has moved to garbage goals, yet we let a garbage goal specialist go.
A garbage goal guy with virtually no other upside. Average at best skater, NOT a PK guy at all, can’t take face-offs, doesn’t drop his purse, etc.
Nolan is a similar player, but without Parrish’s weaknesses (don’t know if he plays PK, though).
Looking at some earlier posts.
Sunshine, @11:35: a GM is trying to build a solid franchise. Parrish can not afford to take his cut personally.
By the same token, DR cannot afford to take Parrish’s feelings into account when he decides it is in the best interests of the Wild to cut him, (except it usually does not serve any purpose to needlessly make these things hurt)
I don’t foresee Nolan being a go -to PK guy
Heard Parrish on KFAN and he sounded pretty pissed off…
Way to appease the fans by cutting the home town favorite.
I liked Parrish (though think his time here was nothing short of disappointing), but isn’t that a bit of a stretch? I’m not so sure he would crack the top 5 of Wild fans’ favorite players from last season.
What did he say, zigtron?
Well, with Parry I can understand why they did it, I really didn’t want to see him go out like that here though, someone mentioned that he was over paid for playing on the PK and other minor roles…. well ya…. if thats all your coach will let you play, he certainly is then. He is a great garbage goal guy aon an offensive minded team. I wish him the best of luck and wish he could have stayed. Someone also mentioned if you want to save cap space what about Johnnson, who ever said that, go get yourself a cookie, I agree. Johnnson is the most over paid player on our team by far and he is kind of a cancer IMO, he is definatly not the offensive defencemen we thought we were getting. Between Skoula and him, they are the only 2 defensmen I have consistatly seen lose or give up the puck to the other team in our own zone with out even a man on them. Johnnson is alil’ better but man, he is making alot of friggin money per year for not much production…
So much for this item on somebody’s wish list:
DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings made a subtle move Wednesday that could prove to be a spectacular one if Valtteri Filppula lives up to his potential.
Filppula signed a $15 million, five-year contract with the Red Wings that keeps a talented forward on the roster for a while.
Question:
Can a team and player re-negotiate a contract in the middle of the contract if both parties agree?
Could for instance DR go to MP and say “Look, you didn’t play to expectations here. We need some cap room. How would you feel about re-negotiating for $500,000 less per year?”
Seems like ever since the team was sold, they’ve made a lot of strange moves. They’ve been a first-class operation since their debut. Hope they don’t become the hockey version of the TWolves.
[Johnnson] is kind of a cancer IMO
Based on what, exactly??
which is ironic because when at the deadline, some of these player sign contracts for more money and longer term than the parrish, we are up in arms when we don’t get them. DR took a risk with parrish and now it is called an expensive mistake. If he doesn’t make signings like this he is called timid and cheap.
It comes with the territory.
Would you classify the Parrish signing and subsequent dumping of over 5 million in cap space as a success by DR?
If he makes too many more signings like this he won’t have to worry about criticism.
No - Gabby has to play this year under his current deal - an extension is what is being negotiated now.
True but Parrish’s deal was for another three years so Dr has cleared about $1.5-2M in cap space over that time.
Iceman…I am sure he (Filppula) took less money to stay there.
HD - just another Mike is just pining for Kuba
“Taro Tsujimoto”
LMAO. That is hilarious.
“For years after the pick, fans would chant “We Want Taro” when games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium got one-sided.”
Great stuff.
Ha! Kuba did wear my #. No, Johnsson doesn’t play up to par IMO, I guess saying he is a cancer wasn’t the right term, I’m just dissapointed in his play in the defensive zone and lack of production in the offensive zone.
Ah yeah Parrish called into KFAN, pretty ticked off about a few things. Russo noted on most of the topics in an earlier post. But he also said he was willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Wild, along with stating that he was in the ‘best shape of his life’ and working hard preparing to play for JL this upcoming season…
Question:
Can a team and player re-negotiate a contract in the middle of the contract if both parties agree?
This is prohibited by the NHL CBA.
So, I guess MP couldn’t play for a pay cut even if he wanted to.
bummer. i like parrish. with WGN playing the blackhawks games i think i’ll have a new favorite team next year.
I’m glad someone was entertained by it at least, Austin.
So, is there a rule in the CBA preventing DR from buying out MP and then signing him as a FA? Did Russo cover that already?
Johnsson - could part of the lack of production be attributed to the players he plays with? I know this last season he spent quite a bit of time with Shultz. But, put him out there with Skoula, Hill, or Nummi and maybe the lack of production was due to a lack of confidence in his partner being able to cover for him? I’m not making excuses, just throwing out ideas.
It would seem that our D might be a bit more mobile this season with the addition of Zidlicky and MAB. Maybe this will help Johnsson?
Goody, what would be the point of that?
But, I believe there is a clause that says you cannot do it for a year.
Someone mentioned yesterday that they thought the CBA prevented teams from re-sigining a bought-out player for one year.
As for Johnnson, I thought he was pretty good last year, in particular the second half. His point production is not what we would all like it to be, but I wonder how much of that is attributable to not much PP time?
Just thinking outside the box . . . could a team buyout a player with a large contract that is no longer worth his salary, spread out the cap hit and then resign him for the league minimum?
Because a guy that clears waivers and has his contract bought out is a free agent right? Wouldn’t that imply any team could sign him, including his previous team?
But ditto Jarome’s comment - don’t know why we would want to re-sign MP in any event. I don’t think he fits in with this team anymore in the first place.
It comes with the territory.
as does ripping the GM for every move he does i guess.
At the deadline we bitched and bitched that we weren’t spending jeff finger like money for multiple years to players who are unproven (malone). If you want your GM to take chances like that, then I don’t think you have a right to bitch when he cuts said player loose after the gamble doesn’t pay off.
Yeah, and now he’s “pissed.” RAWR!
Some solid points from the other blog that should be carried over
Good Old Wally says:
July 30th, 2008 at 11:57 am
BALLGAME
You being a transplant is not the same thing. I am speaking of the stregth of the hockey program locally. I think it is safe to assume that we Minnesotans have pride in our home grown talent ? no doubt… A father takes his son to a game, and with out a doubt will mention to his son that the Wild have a homegrown player on the roster
I dont think it is wise to have no homegrown talent on a pro team in Minnesota, in Nashville sure !
Yes the Wild have players who live here during the season and leave to go back home during the summer, but that is not the same thing. THOSE PLAYERS ARE NOT PRODUCTS OF MINNESOTA HOCKEY. SO IF THE MINNESOTA PRO TEAM DOES NOT HAVE ANY PRO PLAYERS FROM MINNESOTA, THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE ? no doubt. I cant see how anybody cant see the point
Minnesota hockey = Passion and Passion is not wise for the Wilds front office to mess with…. Is it a pain in the ass ? Maybe… So live with it and do something about I say. Leopold bought the team in Minnesota and should know that Minnesotans have a passion for the hockey products here
I am sure that the Wilds brass will say they dont care about where the players are from and they will likely take a hard ass response, but I say that they are full of bull and in denial. If your in Nashville then you dont care.
DR in the back of his mind tried to meet the needs of the local fans by..
Mark Parrish
AJ Thelen
Maybe Sean Hill
Great move
Darby Hendrickson
All of those moves turned sour. If I look at the make up of this team, Jason Blake looks to be a no brainer for this roster
Bottom line DR … YOU HAVE A PR PROBLEM !! This in not Nashville
Beaver says:
July 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Good Post Good Old Wally ! I agree its not wise to run with no Minnesotans. The Minnesota Hockey passion has much more history then the Wild do…. Were happy for the Wild for letting youth hockey sell the cute little programs before the games.. What does that make $ 200 bucks per association
Mister Know it all says:
July 30th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Gentleman,
I must applaud GOW and the Beaver. I as Mister Know it all agree 100%. The Wild have failed miserably since Darby Hendrickson. AJ Thelen is an example of the DR mindset…. oh it must be the pressure of the local kid making it… please no excuses anymore DR. How can you use the local kid pressure with AJ ? The kid got kicked off of the Michigan state hockey program for cripes sake
DR- I think it would be foolish do blame you for your effort with getting Mark Parrish in Minnesota. Who could have seen that coming
LR says:
July 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
It really surprises me that the Wild could be so close to the cap with the mediocre and old talent that they have, while other teams have many star players on the same team without worry. Does McHale have a say in the Wild’s roster??
SkiUMahLaw says:
July 30th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
[i]it would be nice to see the Wild fight for young Minnesota talent once in a while
who is to say they haven’t[/i]
There were all of two Minnesotans on the Aeros Calder Cup roster this year…and one of them grew up in North Dakota. The other was undrafted and a walk-on at UW-Madison (signed as a free agent) Any of the rest of the Wild’s Minnesotans are toiling in the ECHL. Don’t get me wrong, I am not for bringing them to the show based on connection to Minnesota, but there are a lot of decently-talented Minnesotans in the NHL and we can’t find any of them?
Or are we just not identifying young Minnesota talent?
Can we put this to rest. I am very proud of the talented Minnesota players and love local hockey. But I don’t care whether the Wild do or don’t have MN players. I care whether they have good players.
Iginla50, AiH hit the nail on the head. Say you wanted to retain a player and that player is willing to play for less AND you need some cap room.
Put the player on waivers
Buy out the contract
Re-sign for league minimum
Bingo, you’ve got that player for less money and cap room. I’m not saying you’d necessarily want to do it in this case but…
- If you want your GM to take chances like that, then I don’t think you have a right to bitch when he cuts said player loose after the gamble doesn’t pay off.
Exactly - I you hate the Johnsson contract, you hate UFAs. If you hate UFAs, you hate the NHL. If you hate the NHL, you hate North America. You don’t hate North America, do you?
- Peter - we won’t miss you and if your banking on WGN having Hawks games on in MN you are in for a sad surprise.
Exactly - I you hate the Johnsson contract, you hate UFAs. If you hate UFAs, you hate the NHL. If you hate the NHL, you hate North America. You don’t hate North America, do you?
GGGGGGS–LOL, I have no idea what that means, but I love it! LMAO.
Sweet fancy Moses…
Heard Parrish on KFAN and he sounded pretty pissed off…
I’ll miss Parry and all that, but, with all due respect, I can give him over 5 million reasons to get over it!
woodcock says:
“July 30th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Can we put this to rest. I am very proud of the talented Minnesota players and love local hockey. But I don’t care whether the Wild do or don’t have MN players. I care whether they have good players.”
Yes we can. And MN Native players or not, the X will still be sold out every night.
BFW - I think what Parrish may have wanted in the long run is a little bit deeper than money.
Yeah, but BFW*, money can’t fix a broken heart.
On the other hand, he could get his buy-out in small denominations and just make a mountain of money in his living room and roll around in it. That should make him feel better.
Didn’t most of Johnsson points with the Flyers come on the PP?
JL didn’t use him much on the PP, IIRC. JL played with 4 forwards and 1 d-men most of the time. He was 9th in PP time last year and 6th in 06-07.
In Philly, he was receiving a lot more minutes on the PP than on the Wild.
yeah Green*…except I am not ripping DR for dumping Parrish. I think it was an expensive lesson in GMming. And I did not rip the Miettinen signing. So, I don’t rip him for every move, just the stupid ones…
Also, two summers ago, I was NOT clamoring for the Wild to sign Mark Parrish, were you?
This is simply cap space for a gaborik deal, nothing more.
Just a thought here — sign Pouliot to a 3-4 year deal next year that is also cheap and tradeable ie Detroit’s way. That way, you won’t have to pay alot more ie PMB after so many one year deals.
I’m not questioning DR on this move but I want to point something out. In a season filled with injuries, less than stellar play and being constantly tucked away in JL’s doghouse, Parrish still had 16 goals.
If he would have played all 82 games that would have been closer to 20 goals. And that was with most of his ice time coming on the 3rd line and not a whole lot of PP time.
Parrish said he was focused this offseason. I’m willing to predict he scores at least 20 goals with another team and he has a 30 goal upside.
Salary cap aside, the Wild just bought out a guy with legitimate 20 goal production, maybe even 30 goals.
Okay, after some thought, that was a dumb post on my part re: Pouliot.
Maybe a two year deal first if he does well this season.
The consequences of Ballgame’s decisions are what leads to his criticism. Look at the summer the team added Parrish, Demo and Kimmie J (although at the time I thought Kimmie J was overpaid). At the time, Ballgame was being lauded nationally for bringing in players that could help move the Wild up a notch or two in the League’s pecking order. Now, with hindsight being double 20, that summer was a colossal failure after losing Demo and Parrish with nothing in return; still on the hook for Parrish monies and losing Sully in the Demo move. Kimmie J is still around but looking back at the comments about him as a player when he was brought in, I don’t think he has produced anywhere near the level some in the Wild Brass had expected. Really need to let the move play itself out before a final decision can be made. Mnay folks were questioning bringing in Fridge last year but I think we can agree that he turned out to be a pleasant surprise while he was here. If sending Parrish on his way allows Ballgame the neccessary Cap space down the road to get Gabby inked long term, I don’t think many will have a problem with that. We’ll have to see. But, Ballgame does have to get Gabby inked in the coming weeks.
AiH:
I just think the Wild no longer want him on the team because he will end up being a 4th liner at $2.65 million and they want to give Gillies/Aeros player a shot.
JL will use him in places to maximize output from him. And he did, by scoring 16 goals. He really wasn’t scratched until towards the end of the season when we were playing more physical teams.
His injuries and getting back to form prohibited him more than JL ever did.
AiH: I never really understood all of the doghouse nonesense with Parrish. He wasn’t brought in to be an up-and-down the ice player who would come flying in off the wing. He was brought in to be a “mucker” in front of he net, could produce on the powerplay and was one of the better shot deflectors in the league. And like you wrote, with all of the injuires a year ago, the new baby he still finished with 16 goals. I’m not seeing it but we’ll have to see what other dominoes fall because of the move.
This is simply cap space for a gaborik deal, nothing more.
Once again, Gabby has a contract for this year - he needs an EXTENSION!
BFW*- I think what Parrish may have wanted in the long run is a little bit deeper than money.
Give me a break. Turn the page. No sympathy here.
The guy dreamed of playing for the North Stars/Wild, and he DID it.
Take a tip from Steve Miller: Go on, take the money and run!
Dammit. Now I’ve got that friggin’ song stuck in my head.
” SO IF THE MINNESOTA PRO TEAM DOES NOT HAVE ANY PRO PLAYERS FROM MINNESOTA, THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE ? no doubt. I cant see how anybody cant see the point”
This makes NO SENSE. Having no players from MN is not a slap in the face. People that believe that should be knocked unconscious with a wiffleball bat and then be taken advantage of by those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.
If you want to watch MN born players playing in MN just watch college hockey.
“He was brought in to be a “mucker” in front of he net, could produce on the powerplay and was one of the better shot deflectors in the league”
He can do all that and more. The more is what is lacking.
Its like saying Gaborik is there only to score. He has to do more than score. Parrish has to do more than be a mucker. PMB has to do more than be a playmaker.
If there is no range to their game, they become useless and not needed. Someone else who can be a mucker and be physical or mucker and battle in the corners.
Amen ATX! The Wild could field the National Swedish Team ala Detroit, win the cup, and people would bitch there’s no native Minnesotans on the roster.
On a side note: Man, I’m anxious to get done with this project at work. Been working on these townhomes for 3+ months and there’s all this little crap that keeps coming up to fix…drives a person crazy!
Word, ATX… It boggles the relatively sane mind.
deep: IIRC, we have been to the playoffs twice and won the division once since the lockout.
To me, that is indicative of taking the next step.
in other words, maybe the Pellerins and O’Donnells were the veterans to get us through the foundational years, and the Demos, Parrishes and Rolstons were the veterans to get us to the next phase.
NiNY:
Then the Nolans and Brunettes will help us win a Stanley Cup?
Sunshine:
But being a mucker is exactly what the Wild Brass expected of Parrish when he was brought it. Go back and read the stories after he was signed and look at the comments from the Wild. They didn’t expect him to be a shutdown, defensive forward; they didn’t expect him to drop the gloves. They expected him to cause problems in front of the net and produce on the powerplay. Injuries killed his season last year and he was not given a chance this year to rectify that situation, which is fine, I guess. But the Wild knew exactly what it was getting with Parrish because they stated as much when he was signed. Can’t go back and rewrite history. Leave that for Sid and his idiot followers.
The players that will be the core of any Wild team that wins a cup in the next 5 years will be Gaborik, Koivu, Burns, PMB, Schultz, and Sheppard, IMHO. None of those guys is older than 26.
One nmore thing Sunshine: it is what almost everyone in sports would refer to as a “role” player. You have to have your “stars”, but you also need those players that fill a role. Parrish’s role when he was brought in was to do exactly what he did. Whether that changed over the last 18 months we’ll never know because Ballgame did not come out and say that he was supposed to be a 30-goal man. Injuries killed his 07-08 season and we’ll never know if he would have been able to turn it around, which is fine. Hopefully he’ll get the chance elsewhere.
Parrish was absolutely not P.O.’d on the FAN earlier today. Disappointed yes. Not P.O.’d.
I agree with AiH. All those applauding the decision: Considering Parrish was never fully healthy all of last season, and it was just his second year with a new team, new system, did we really get a good enough sampling to say with any certainty that he was a bust here? I just don’t see it.
Does KFAN post stuff like that interview on their web site? I’d be interested to hear it.
No, Parrish is not expected to drop the gloves but he is expected to be a little physical. No, he was not brought in to be a defensive forward but he has to backcheck and take care of his own end. No, he was not brought in to be a playmaker, but he has to battle in the corners and cycle the puck. These are things that Parrish and the other players have to do for the team. If he is not doing it and if other players can do a much better job, he will lose his job and he did. He said it himself that he thought he was working hard before, but coming to the Wild showed him, he wasn’t.
He can’t just stand in front of the net while everyone is battling for the puck. Just as Gaborik can’t stand at the blue or red line to wait for a pass.
Do you see where I am coming from? Players have their roles and then there are duties that everyone has to share in. Parrish just wasn’t contributing enough in the shared duties due to injuries or other personal issues. We all saw that JL is not afraid to bench Gaborik for not doing the sharing duties.
I would have liked the Wild to give him another chance and buy him out after next season but I am not oppose to the buyout now either.
I don’t think I am applauding the decision as much as I had already come to the conclusion that he really didn’t fit on this team any longer. There are already 6 veteran forwards on this team, all of whom I would prefer to play ahead of Parrish on a regular basis. To me, it was just a logical move and I think the timing was much more fair to Parrish than had the team waited until the end of the preseason.
Was he a “bust”? I don’t know about that. I just think his play the last two seasons, whatever the reasons, wasn’t good enough to merit a regular place as a top 6 winger on this team. He’s a little too expensive to be captaining the popcorn squad.
ms.conduct — go to kfan.com and look under Fan on Demand. It will likely be under the PA and Dubay program — they do more hockey stuff because Dubay is a play-by-play guy for the gophers or something like that.
Overall the team is either in a horizontal or slightly declining mode. THe changes DR has made this year are certainly not going to challenge Detroit, Anaheim, San JOse or other contenders. My feeling is that DR is setting the team up for a 2009/10 or later run by controlling the payroll for those years. Have MP’s salary for 3 more years just didn’t play into those plans (same with BR and Demo btw). The defense is in place, adding some scoring will be critical, but don’t look for big things this year - not gonna happen.
Thanks Sunshine. It was right where you said.
He’s not pissed at all. Though I think it’s telling that he says he just wants to get back to having fun playing. You have to figure maybe there’s a little bit of him that’s relieved to be out from under JL.
From peewees to high school to college and into the pros……Parrish has built a reputation as a team player who had particular skills and tenacity, a leader in the locker room, a hard worker, and a valued member of the community. All of a sudden he comes to the Wild and he is a dog. I think that says more about the Wild than him unless there are injury issues that no one wants to discuss.
Truth is, if he isn’t injured and can play halfways decently over the next 3 years, he’ll likely make more money playing for somebody else. He may not be worth $2.8M/year, but with the buyout, if he can catch on for anything over $1M/year over the next 3 years he will be coming out ahead and could be in a place where he feels the love. I hope he catches on somewhere, pots 20-25 goals with one of them costing the Wild a playoff spot and Smug his job. End his career as a veteran leader with his name on Lord Stanley’s cup. None of that would happen for him with the Wild in the next 3 years.
BTW, lump sum payouts aren’t necessarily the way to go as $5.6M is not nearly so attractive when you give half of it to the IRS and your agent.
JL is a taskmaster, that’s for sure. He holds practices nearly every non-game day. Sometimes the only breaks the boys get is when the plane is delayed and they missed their schedule practice time at the arena, they are sick or injured, or JL gives the player a day off.
I know Hill didn’t like it. Rolston didn’t either as he proposed the optional practices to JL.
Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, and a 2009 1st round draft pick.
Heh heh. Armstrong’s a third-line, character guy. Christensen is basically a one-trick pony (shootouts) though he does have a wicked wrister. Thought he had potential and maybe he still has some. Esposito’s a head-case who can’t be “the guy.” That’s why he fell to the Pens at 20.
And this native Minnesotans have to play for the Wild? WTF? How many people from Michigan played for Detroit last season? How many Floridians played for TB in ‘04?
KiPA: Riddle me this:
What professional sports team actually DOES play with a roster full of locals?
Answer: None. But there are a lot of people who regularly post to this blog who think the Wild should only go for Minnesotans, and not for the best players available. These people think that anything Minnesota is the greatest thing since sliced bread was invented.
I, as a native Minnesotan, want my teams to WIN. I’m not picky as to where they come from. As long as they are willing to try here, I’ll support them.
When they are less than willing, I’ll also support changing the roster. Dead wood is dead wood, no matter where the wood grew. It’s just as dead.
Now, if we could only buy out Skoula… 
“And this native Minnesotans have to play for the Wild? WTF? How many people from Michigan played for Detroit last season? How many Floridians played for TB in ‘04?”
Thank you Kevin! Seriously what is the deal with having a hard on for players that are from MN. Get over it. Let management bring in the best players possible or attempt to anyways…
WRT: Exactly. If the best players ARE all from Minnesota, then absolutely the Wild need to get them. But there won’t really be much argument that is true, right? Place of origin shouldn’t matter.
Anyone who wants to see a team of all Minnesotans should stick to high school hockey. Those players are all from MN right?
My friend and I joked that with the signing of Bill Thomas, the Pens have their token Pittsburgh native. We’re hardly clamoring for all Pittsburghers on the team (and that doesn’t even have anything to do with the fact that if we did that, we’d be pretty damn bad.)
Here’s a rational thought on Minnesota players which is basically another strike against Riser and his team. Why can so many other NHL teams out-scout the Wild in Minnesota when the freaking Wild are in the same flipping state seeing these kids play all the time? That is the problem. Not that the Wild have to have Minnesota kids, but the fact that the state does produce pretty darn good talent and we have an NHL team here, you would think that the club would have pretty good access to see the players quite often, and hence, have the upper hand, but yet every other team in the league has been able to tap Minnesota’s talent better than the Wild, which is an indication of a pretty piss-poor amateur scouting department in the state. For crying out loud the Anaheim Ducks signed Stu Bickel as a free agent out of the Gophers, think he was even on the Wild’s radar? If they lost every good Minnesota player and hit on every other player they drafted or signed that would be fine (that hasn’t exactly happened eh?), but you would think with the access they have they would have been able to discover a few gems or free agents here and there. Other teams have been able to just that and they’re not in state with the ability to see these kids all the time.
Claire:
You make it sound like they have never drafted a Minnesotan in the history of the franchise. They drafted Thelen and he was a bust. They have drafted many more.
And if you are talking about Parise, Vanek, and some of the very good ones, check to see where they were picked and where the Wild picked. Most were picked prior to Minnesota.
According to news reports, the Wild also pursued Wheeler. They were high on Gardiner but he was picked before #23 — Cuma was rated higher than Ness. If Ness was available in the 2nd round when they picked, its likely they would have picked him if rumors are to believe that DR spoke to his parents.
Enough with the Minnesota players. Grab the best player available during the draft. Sign the best players who can help the team win a Stanley Cup. Who cares if they are from Slovakia, Shakopee, Turku, or Halifax.
Start the clock on Gabby watch. I’m really wondering how this will turn out.
Parrish was always a non factor for games. DR has to be fired a.s.a.p. The wild has no chance of making the playoffs. Who in the hell is gaborik going to play with. He can pass the puck back and forth with Skoula. I will still go to the games to see the boogeyman take over the heavy weight championship.
Now if the Wild can get rid of Kim Johnsson and Martin Skoula
Can someone help me figure this out …
for years we have been told that the Wild organization is the envy of the NHL … awesome organization, great arena, great fans, sellouts nightly, players love to play in front of full house, etc. etc. etc. Yet, when the time came for the big guys to take the WILD to another level over this off-season by adding the stars necessary to get them beyond the 1st round of the playoffs, all the big stars said “no” to the Wild … Hossa, Rolston, Huleius, Ryan Malone, etc. etc.
Maybe WILD mgmt is not as smart as they think ??
The Wild Management is horrible and it is time for DR to go, no big name stars want to play on the cheap after what they did to Demitra and Rolston I wouldn’t play here if I was a big name star.
[…] -After having him clear waivers, the Wild will buy out forward Mark Parrish. […]
im no longer a wild fan
A big thank you goes out to the Wild organization. Mark can now come back to his second home, Long Island to play for the Islanders. He was well liked when he played here two years ago, was active in the community and a good leader in the room. so basically if we sign him, we get him back and then also have Jeff Tambellini who was the leading goal scorer in the AHL last year who was qcquired when we traded MP to LAK.
Perhaps you guys are missing whats around the corner ? Notice all those French Canadians ? I think they will tank it a few years and move the team to Quebec . Which Minnesota guy next ? Mike Ramsey ? Parish never had time to recover from his concussion and I think he had more than one last year . Maybe they will do us hockey playing fans a favor and dump gorg and his goofy intermission “face offs” and redundent goal explanations . Just give me the replay and more Bud lite commercials .
