Why Parise and Suter Will Pay Off for the Wild

By now, you know the story of the day, where the Minnesota Wild signed both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.  Opinions have wildly varied, and there are even a few folks criticizing the signings as nothing more than window dressing.  Just look at Columbus' failed spending spree from last year, with the trade for Jeff Carter and his bloated contract and signing James Wisniewski to a big deal.  Yes, Minnesota got a big name forward and a good defenseman, just like Columbus last year, but that's where the similarities should end.  Minnesota is going to be better with those signings and maybe they don't win a Stanley Cup within 5 years or so, but in the immediate future, Minnesota will be playoff contenders.

Before both Parise and Suter signed, the Wild already had a few pieces in place, with Mikko Koivu captaining the team (a role he's likely to retain despite Parise's signing), a good goaltending tandem in Nicklas Backstrom and Josh Harding, and prospects in Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Matt Hackett waiting to make their mark.  Throw in signings such as Zenon Konopka, who will add faceoff ability and toughness (to go with Matt Kassian and Cal Clutterbuck), Torrey Mitchell, and Jake Dowell, and the Wild had their bottom two lines filled.  Parise will not only help in the offensive game, but he could very well lift the game of Devin Setoguchi, who had his worst season, and maybe, just maybe, help Dany Heatley find some of his lost scoring touch.  Suter instantly becomes the number one blue liner, and though questions will remain as to whether or not he can succeed without Shea Weber, he only needs to look to other former Predators in Kimmo Timonen and Dan Hamhuis for success stories after Nashville, as both play significant roles for Philadelphia and Vancouver, respectively, and not coincidentally, were important in their teams' Stanley Cup runs in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Why won't Minnesota be like Columbus of last year?  Neither will likely pull a Jeff Carter and say (or imply) that they don't want to be in Minnesota, and that happiness to be there should be a good sign for those who may think about signing with Minnesota.  Also, Backstrom and Harding are good goaltenders, and overall depth in that department is good, with Matt Hackett waiting for his turn.  Columbus had Steve Mason and practically nothing else, not even in their minor league system.  Both had suffered the inability to draft and develop players, but it seems that Minnesota is willing to be more patient than Columbus, who have had a history of rushing players to the NHL before they're ready (see: Brule, Gilbert).  Yes, 13 years is a long time and a lot of money to commit to two players, but it appears both Parise and Suter want this challenge of bringing back the credibility to the Minnesota Wild hockey team, and for that, the Wild should be thankful.

As far as their division goes, remember that Vancouver is still in the same division, and no matter who the starter is (be it Luongo or Schneider), the Canucks still have the pieces necessary to win the division.  Edmonton has the young talent in place, but lack a goaltender, and neither Colorado or Calgary look like they'll challenge for the division title this year (or next, for that matter).  Is a division title possible?  Yes.  Deep playoff run?  Too early to tell, but with Parise fresh off a Finals appearance, the young players will be better for having a guy who has experienced big games, and along with Suter, both have international experience, with the 2010 Olympics being the highlight.  Minnesota wants to sit at the big kids' table, and Suter and Parise just might be the ones to get them there.