Feb. 24, 2020 was a big day for the Islanders. A first, second, and conditional third round pick were sent to Ottawa for much needed goal-scorer Jean-Gabriel Pageau. But that wasn’t the only trade the Islanders attempted to make that day. Lou Lamoriello had also been on the phone with Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, discussing a possible trade involving Andrew Ladd that would Minnesota’s alternate captain Zach Parise to the Islanders.

The deal fell through and the deadline ended, but the trade may be revisited, and maybe even completed this offseason. On paper, looking at what the players have done over the last few years, this would be a no-brainer. In reality, it is very risky, as Zach Parise’s contract is longer and more expensive than Ladd’s. But since he may be a future Islander, let’s learn about Zach Parise.

Zach Parise, the son of former NHLer J.P. Parise, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ironically enough, J.P. Parise was traded from Minnesota to the Islanders in 1975 after being the captain of the North Stars, who played there at the time. But when Zach was the top free agent in 2012, he knew where he wanted to go. The Wild, trying to rise in the standings, were ready to make a huge free agency splash. So, on July 4, 2012, they signed the top-two free agents: defenseman Ryan Suter from the Predators, and winger Zach Parise from the Devils. The two deals were identical, $7.5 million a year for 13 years. Ryan Suter had shown his worth, whilst Zach Parise did not.

Now that we’ve introduced our players, let’s see why this trade would benefit each team.

Why The Zach Parise Trade Benefits The New York Islanders:

In 2019, the Islanders went to the Eastern Conference semifinals, whilst in 2020 they made the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s safe to say they are in “win-now mode.” However, their window of cup contention isn’t very long. Outside of Mat Barzal, Anthony Beauviller, and a few other exceptions, this is a team full of veterans entering their early-30s, and will soon regress. They need all the talent they can get if they want to win a Stanley Cup. In this trade, the Islanders would give up Andrew Ladd, who only played four NHL regular season games last year, and is not expected to be used often, if it all, at the NHL-level next year.

Zach Parise may not be worth what his contract costs, but he is still a very solid middle-six winger on a playoff team. In 69 games last year, Parise posted 25 goals and 21 assists for 46 points. That would have finished third on the Islanders, behind Mat Barzal (60) and Brock Nelson (54). He can easily pass a great second-line winger option, but with the line of Nelson, Beauvillier, Bailey thriving as the second line, he may be placed on the third line. If so, he can play on the wing of Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Regardless, coach Barry Trotz likes to shift around the lines often, and Parise will likely be successful wherever Trotz thinks he’d fit best.

Why this benefits the Minnesota Wild:

There is no hiding the fact that Zach Parise is a better player than Andrew Ladd. The Minnesota Wild have a great future, and plan to win later as supposed to right now. Getting Zach Parise’s contract off their hands for a shorter, less expensive Ladd deal can pay tremendous dividends. Recently, the Wild sold off Staal’s contract in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and also were willing to give up Jason Zucker in a trade to the Penguins to help their future. Also, there are rumors they are trying to rid Devan Dubnyk’s contract in a trade, as well as a potential buyout for Victor Rask. In conclusion, the Wild will be willing to trade declining veterans on large cap hits if it means freeing cap space for the future.

Does it work financially?

Short answer, yes. Zach Parise’s contract is $7.5 million for the next five years, whilst Andrew Ladd’s contract is $5.5 million for the next three years. The Islanders currently have $8.9 million of cap space remaining, according to CapFriendly. However, this likely won’t be enough to re-sign upcoming RFAs Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews. For that reason, the Islanders may shop Nick Leddy or Johnny Boychuk. Leddy has a $5.5 million AAV, and Boychuk has a $6 million AAV. If the Islanders are able to offload their contracts, that would allow them to re-sign their RFAs.

Other UFA expiring contracts are Matt Martin, Derick Brassard, Tom Kuhnhackl, Andy Greene, and Thomas Greiss. Matt Martin may be kept at a small price for his fit on the fourth line, but Brassard and Kuhnhackl’s roles can be replaced with younger players such as Kieffer Bellows or Oliver Wahlstrom, Andy Greene is not needed as an everyday player when the blue line is healthy, and the Sorokin-Varlamov tandem for next year most likely means Greiss will test free agency. Another cap-affecting decision is if the Islanders trade for Patrik Laine, or sign players like Mike Hoffman or Evgenii Dadonov.

If so, it depends on what the Islanders give up on how the cap is affected. Signing some stars should be the priority this offseason, but if we can scrape together $2 million of cap space after some moves, it could definitely work. Keep in mind, Minnesota will not be willing to retain any of Parise’s salary, as the whole point of the trade is to eliminate the contract.

Final Analysis: Should the Islanders do this trade?

No, probably not. The NHL’s salary cap of $81.5 million is not increasing for at least two more years, and the Islanders are simply in too much salary cap trouble for them to be spending extra on a guy like Parise. Keeping the Islanders’ roster intact is the priority, which is a challenge in and of itself. However, if Lamoriello finds a way to make this work, Parise could make a legitimate impact on the Isles’ scoreline next season.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others