New Jersey Devils’ coach Peter DeBoer confident of his team doing well even without Zach Parise
New Jersey Devils lost their captain and key left winger, Zach Parise, in a free agency earlier this month, which was a big blow to them but now their head coach, Peter DeBoer, hopes and is confident that his team will start from where they had left last
season and will do well even in the absence of one of their top forwards.
Zach Parise, who became only the second New Jersey Devils’ captain in franchise’s history to lead his team to the finals, first one being Scott Stevens, a NJ legend who lead the team to four Stanley Cup finals, winning three of them in 1995, 2000, 2003 and
finishing runner-up in 2001.
Stevens has also recently become an assistant coach of New Jersey Devils.
The Minneapolis, Minnesota native left-winger, who has gone back to the place where he was born and spent some of his childhood, signed a 13-year contract with Minnesota Wild, which would keep him at the place until he turns 40.
But the salary he would be given is a very huge package, identical to Ryan Suter’s, whose deal was also announced with his deal. Both players were announced alternative captain of their new team and a salary of $98 million.
Zach Parise had played in 2005-2006 for the first time in NHL, representing New Jersey Devils and he never looked back after that, until now.
He played almost a whole season every year, excluding 2010-2011 regular season when he suffered a knee injury because of which he played just 13 games in that hockey year. The 27-year-old scored 194 goals, 216 assists and 410 total points for New Jersey
Devils.
44-year-old head coach of New Jersey Devils, Peter DeBoer said that he was disappointed at losing such a star player, who was such a key member in his team last year but he is also happy for Zach Parise as he said,
“You're happy for Zach in that he got rewarded with the contract he did, and you can see his excitement and happiness in being able to go home and play in front of his parents and family. In our end, it's disappointment in not having the opportunity to continue
to work with him. He's such a great kid and he stands for all the right things. He was obviously an important part of our team, but this League allows you to feel sorry for yourself for about two minutes and then you have to pick yourself up and come up with
a plan moving forward”.
Peter DeBoer is yet to name a new captain for his team, which he would announce soon but he is happy that defence-line of his team is still intact and comprising of all the players that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
And he is also optimistic that things would remain the same when new captain leads the team. According to him, even when Parise was leading, it was not a one man job and there were a lot of players doing that job then, who are now candidates to be named
new captain.
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