2012 FREE AGENT FRENZY #PARISEWATCH

Good morning to all! It is currently 9:24AM E.T. and every hockey fan knows the significance of July 1st – Canada Day. Wait, I mean Free Agency Day. I’m sorry for being absent from the blog this past week. We are now back online and will be tracking any Devils free agency developments live.

12:29 PM E.T. The wait is over. Parise has signed with the Minnesota Wild on a $98 million, 13 year deal. Good luck!

– Day 4 (July 4 2012) –

8:00 PM E.T. #PariseWatch continues. Parise by text: “Nothing is happening tonight.” Move on, ladies and gents.

12:14 PM E.T. More on Salvador. Said that ‘half the NHL’ had interest and many offered 3 year contracts, but it would’ve taken a lot to take him away from the Devils. Playoff performance warranted the 3 year offer from the Devils.

11:37 AM E.T. D Bryce Salvador has chosen to re-sign with the Devils. The contract is 3 yr/$9.5mil with an AAV of $3.16mil. What does everyone think regarding the length of Salvador’s contract? — Does this definitively mean that Parise isn’t coming back? In my honest opinion, not at all. As for Parise, his camp has announced that a decision is coming ‘probably later today.’ Which means that at 5 PM there will be a press conference to announce no decision made. He deserves to take his time.

9:50 AM. E.T. Morning all. Another day of #PariseWatch begins.

– Day 3 (July 3 2012) –

5:41 PM E.T. A decision from Parise could still come tonight. More likely, tomorrow. If a decision is reached today, whether it will be announced or not depends on how late it is made. Devils still in the mix.

5:31 PM E.T. Wade Arnott, Parise’s agent: “We have thoroughly deliberated every option with Zach. He wishes to take some time to step back and review all with his fiance and his family. We could be drawing closer to a decision.” (@DarrenDreger)

5:03 PM E.T. Parise says he has yet to reach a decision and will not put a deadline on his search, per a press conference with the media. Contends Devils are still in the mix.

12:15 PM E.T. Brodeur is pushing heavily for Parise’s return, having spoken to him several times over the past few days. Labels Parise a “franchise player” and plans to speak to him again this afternoon.

11:05 AM E.T. Johan Hedberg has agreed in principle to a 2 year deal (a slight raise from his previous contract; now $1.4mil each year). Both Brodeur and Hedberg received no-trade clauses. Brodeur-Hedberg tandem lives on.

10:47 AM E.T. In a stunning case of ‘this bromance will never die,’ Brodeur contends that David Clarkson was more concerned about Brodeur’s free agency than he was himself. Brodeur on free agency: “It was interesting to do, but it’s not something I would like to do again.” (@TGfireandice)

10:43 AM E.T. Re: Brodeur. The reason he went UFA was to ensure that the Devils would give him a 2 year contract (initially offered 1 year.)  Says he was tired of answering questions about retirement ‘next year,’ and wants to play even in the chance of a 2012-13 lockout. Intends to play through his contract even if there is a lockout. Declines to definitively say that this is his last. In other words, Brodeur intends to play for as long as he feasibly can.

10:27 AM E.T. Salvador is still weighing his options, but likely he won’t make any decisions until Parise makes his announcement. Jay Leach has signed a 1 year/two-way contract with the Devils for $525k.

7:46 AM E.T. Brodeur has re-signed with the Devils at a 2 year/$9 million contract! Who’s happy? We’re all happy. Unless something significant happens, the Brodeur-Hedberg tandem is likely. Hedberg has once again expressed his wishes to stay with the Devils if possible.

– Day 2 (July 2 2012) –

11:08 PM E.T. Late night updates are fun. The Devils have extended a 2 year contract to Brodeur. Who’s surprised? It would also make it very easy to retire.

6:46 PM E.T. According to several Toronto writers, Brian Burke of the Leafs spoke with Brodeur but received the implication that Brodeur is planning to stay with the Devils.

6:13 PM E.T. Parise’s short list: Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittburgh Penguins.

5:46 PM E.T. Rutherford confirms that Carolina is not on Parise’s short list. Parise has narrowed down the teams and his decision should come Monday.

4:10 PM E.T. Looks like Eric Boulton has signed a 1 year deal with the Islanders at near veteran minimum. Janssen vs. Boulton?

4:00 PM E.T. Alexei Ponikarovksy is heading to the Winnipeg Jets ($1.8mil/1 year). That’s a raise of $300,000 for him. Good luck, Poni! That said, all these things happening does not paint a good picture of the Devils’ situation right now.

3:31 PM E.T. Hurricanes’ GM Jim Rutherford says it is likely that Parise’s decision will come Monday.

3:22 PM E.T. Indications seem to be that Pittsburgh is in the lead in regards to #PariseWatch. Feel free to riot.

2:13 PM E.T. No real news so far. Salvador has said he will take time deciding but does not rule out signing today. Hedberg has expressed his desire to remain with the Devils.

1:30 PM E.T. As expected, considerable interest in Salvador. Devils are still in the picture.

1:22 PM E.T. The Carolina Hurricanes have reached out to Parise as well, with John MacLean contacting him directly. As someone who had to play and lose under John MacLean, I’m sure Parise is widely conflicted.

1:14 PM E.T. Hawks have reached out to Brodeur. As someone who follows the Blackhawks in the Western Conference, I am widely conflicted.

12:58 PM E.T. Leafs have placed a call in to Pat Brisson showing interest in Brodeur. Described as a ‘simple inquiry.’ The Blackhawks, whose name has been bandied around a fair bit in regards to Brodeur, have yet to reach out.

12:55 PM E.T. The Flyers have extended an offer to Parise as well. As for Pittsburgh, Crosby reached out to Parise as part of their pitch. (I imagine this conversation like this. Crosby: Hey bro. Remember, we went to high school together? Parise: Yeah, it was awesome! High school 4ever!)

12:32 PM E.T. The Minnesota Wild have extended a contract offer to Parise. Probably a large amount of money (bags and bags of gold).

12:05 PM E.T. Brodeur, Parise, Salvador, Hedberg, Alexei Ponikarovsky, and Petr Sykora are now on the market. Let the bidding games begin.

11:59 AM E.T. Brodeur officially headed to the market.

11:18 AM E.T. Looks likely that Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg will be testing the market as well.

11:11 AM E.T. Salvador is heading to the free market at noon, as confirmed by his agent. The Pens will make a big UFA offer to Parise, but likely won’t be the highest bidders. Other teams showing interest in Parise (besides NJD): PHI, DET, MIN.

11:05 AM E.T. Per Bob McKenzie, Zach Parise will be testing the market. Devils remain a big consideration for him but other teams will be making big offers.

10:44 AM E.T. D Bryce Salvador is likely heading to free agency. As far as priorities go, he’s third on the list for Lamoriello (1. Parise, 2. Brodeur, 3. Salvador), so we won’t see news for him until after Parise and Brodeur are signed with a team. No announcement yet regarding Parise. To no surprise, the Red Wings have sent a delegation to talk to him in Toronto if he has decided to test the market.

10:27 AM E.T.  No official news regarding Parise, who made his decision whether to stay with the Devils or test the free agent market at 10 AM. A problem for any team wanting Parise will be the signing bonuses he demands; along with his salary, that’s a big amount to go against the cap hit all at once.

9:27 AM E.T. LW Zach Parise, who met with GM Lou Lamoriello last night in Toronto, will decide by 10 AM whether he is headed to free agency.