No talks on tap for Zach Parise
If the Devils plan to lock up left wing to a long-term deal this off-season, that’s news to him.
confirmed that he has “parted ways” with his agent, but it was not in anticipation of negotiating an extension with the Devils in the summer.
, who is slated to become a restricted free agent after next season and, possibly, an unrestricted free agent following 2011-12, said he has not been approached by general manager Lou Lamoriello about his contract and does not expect it to happen this off-season. The Devils would not be allowed to officially sign to an extension until July 1, but can negotiate a new deal before then.
“Lou hasn’t talked with me about anything as far as that goes and I don’t really expect him to,” said in an e-mail. “He never has done that with anybody that I know of.”
Parise previously had said he was “open” to negotiating an extension, but correctly pointed out that Lamoriello doesn’t have a track record of being proactive.
Because the current collective bargaining agreement was implemented following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the Devils have not re-signed any player before the final season of his contract Under the CBA, goaltender Martin Brodeur is the only Devil to be re-signed during the final season of his contract (in 2005-06).
The Devils will at least need to gauge how much money to set aside for while determining how much they want to commit toward re-signing unrestricted free agent left wing It might not be possible to keep both players.
The Devils have begun contract talks with Kovalchuk , who is playing for Russia at the World Championships in Germany, but it’s unclear whether he would be willing to re-sign before exploring the unrestricted free agent market July 1. agent, Jay Grossman, would not comment on the status of contract talks.