The Zach Parise sweepstakes has concluded. The winners? The Minnesota Wild, which also won the Ryan Suter sweepstakes. Parise eliminated the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday afternoon and agreed to a 13-year deal with the Wild shortly after, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo.
While the Red Wings reportedly made a very intriguing offer to Parise, in the end he opted to join Suter in Minnesota with the Wild. The possibility of a package deal had been talked about as far back as May, but in the last week it didn't seem all that likely. Things dramatically changed in the last day, however, and now the Wild have become the absolute winners of NHL free agency.
In terms of what effect Parise's decision has on the Red Wings, they still have a need to add a top forward to their lineup. Rick Nash trade rumors have been swirling, and there is talk about the Red Wings pursuing Alexander Semin or possibly even Shane Doan. It's a good bet that they will explore those and other options with Parise off the board.
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