The Minnesota Wild are buying out the remaining four years on the contracts of franchise stalwarts Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
Parise and Suter, both 36, signed with the Wild as free agents on July 4, 2012, and have played the past nine seasons together in Minnesota.
“Zach and Ryan have been an integral part of the Wild’s success over the past nine years and we’ll always be grateful for their many contributions,” general manager Bill Guerin said in a news release on Tuesday. “There were numerous factors that entered into the difficult decision to buy out their contracts, but primarily these moves are a continuation of the transformation of our roster aimed at the eventual goal of winning a Stanley Cup.”
The Athletic reported that Parise and Suter each will be paid $6.7 million over the next eight years. Both signed 13-year, $98 million contracts in 2012.
Both players will become unrestricted free agents.
“I want to thank Zach and Ryan for everything they did for our organization over the past nine seasons, both on and off the ice,” Wild owner Craig Leipold said in the release. “They were tremendous ambassadors for our team and helped us win a lot of games. I wish them nothing but the best going forward.”
Parise, a forward and a 16-year NHL veteran, tallied 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 45 games in 2021-22. He has 810 points (393 goals, 417 assists) in 1,060 career games with the New Jersey Devils (2005-12) and Wild.
He is a Minneapolis native.
Suter, a defenseman from Madison, Wis., posted 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 56 games in 2021-22. He has 607 points (93 goals, 514 assists) in 1,198 games with the Nashville Predators (2005-12) and Wild.
Minnesota reached the Stanley Cup playoffs eight times during their nine seasons with the club. The Wild lost a seven-game first-round series to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21.
Parise ranks third in Wild history in points (400) and seventh in games (558), while Suter ranks fourth in both points (369) and games (656).
–Field Level Media