It has long been known that the Islanders will be signing Zach Parise this offseason. That will become official Friday afternoon. Lou Lamoriello and the Islanders are making Parise available to the media Friday at 4 p.m. EST, where he will confirm that he is signing with the team.

Andrew Gross of Newsday relayed the news.

#Isles making Zach Parise available to the media this afternoon. So….officially official.

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) September 10, 2021

The 37-year-old recorded seven goals and 11 assists in 45 games for the Wild last season, his 16th year in the NHL. He was a depth forward who contributed on the power-play and he will join the Islanders to bolster their third line and man advantage.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin bought out Parise, along with Ryan Suter, earlier in the offseason, making both players unrestricted free agents. When Parise remained unsigned after the first few days of free agency, it appeared likely he would be joining Lamoriello on Long Island.

Parise confirmed that, telling Michael Russo of The Athletic last week that he agreed to terms with his old pal Lamoriello, who drafted Parise 17th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft. But that is not the only connection Parise has to the Islanders. Parise’s father J.P. was one of the better Islanders in franchise history, most notably scoring 11 seconds into overtime against the Rangers in 1975, giving the Isles their first postseason series victory in franchise history.

The Islanders nearly traded for Parise two years ago, when Andrew Ladd and Kieffer Bellows were dangled for the high-priced star. Now, Parise will trek to New York on a one-year, incentive-laden deal that will be confirmed Friday afternoon.

David Lazar