Zach Parise is back. And this time it will be with the Colorado Avalanche since the club announced on Friday the signing of the 39-year-old winger for the remainder of the season.
Parise, who spent the last two years with the New York Islanders, has been without a club since the start of the season. He finished with 21 goals and 13 assists in 82 games in 2022-23, his 11th career season with 20 or more goals.
“We are excited to add Zach to our group,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “Throughout his impressive NHL career, Zach has always been a highly competitive and motivated forward who is difficult to play against. We look forward to adding his veteran presence to our locker room.”
Signing Parise, who has never won a Stanley Cup, for the remainder of the season accomplishes several goals for an Avalanche team looking to win its second Cup in the last three years.
Arguably the biggest issue facing the Avalanche in their bid to win another title has been a lack of secondary scoring. This turned out to be one of the reasons why they were unable to defend their title last season as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. It was something MacFarland and his front office quickly addressed in the offseason when they acquired Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Johansen and Miles Wood.
Their arrivals became even more vital with the Avalanche beginning the season without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who suffered a right knee injury that required two surgeries, most recently in May. The 31-year-old last played for the Avs during their Cup run in 2022. Earlier this month, he skated with the Avs with the understanding that he is nowhere near returning to game action.
Stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen have continued to provide scoring strength for the Avalanche. MacKinnon leads the Avs and is second in the NHL with 82 points. Rantanen is second on the team in points, while Makar is third.
Although their secondary scoring has been elusive at times this season, the Avalanche still came into action Friday with eight players scoring more than 10 goals each and eight players with 20 or more points.
Parise could also help the Avalanche fill some of the void left by Valeri Nichushkin in their lineup. The big two-way winger, who has 22 goals and 20 assists this season, left the team on Jan. 15 to enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for an indefinite period.
Entering Friday, the Avalanche (31-14-3) was in second place in the Central Division. They were tied in points with the first-place Winnipeg Jets, but the Jets have played two fewer games. The Avs are also four points behind the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks in the race for the Presidents Trophy, having last won the award during the 2021-22 season, the same year they won their third Stanley Cup.
