Who could be captain of New Jersey Devils after Zach Parise’s departure to Minnesota Wild? –NHL Special
Zach Parise signed a contract with Minnesota Wild of the Northwest Division in the National Hockey League (NHL), for $98 million for 13 years on 4th of the July this year but this has left his previous team, the New Jersey Devils, without a captain.
The 27-year-old had been playing with New Jersey Devils since he started his career back in 2005.
Parise, a left winger, played there for seven straight years, playing 502 games, scoring 194 goals, giving 216 assists and total number of 410 points. He was also the captain of New Jersey Devils last season in which he guided them to the finals of Stanley
Cup Playoffs, where they eventually lost to the Los Angeles Kings.
In his captaincy, New Jersey Devils had reached finals after eight years, since they last won the Cup in 2003.
There are many players who have a chance and could become next captain of New Jersey Devils, few of them are their long serving players like and veteran goalkeeper Martin Brodeur, veteran Czech left winger Patrick Elias and Russian sniper, Ilya Kovalchuk.
Martin Brodeur is the longest serving member of the New Jersey squad who has been one of the most loyal players in the NHL.
He started his NHL career in 1991 with New Jersey Devils and has played only for them in the major league ever since. Brodeur has played 20 seasons with them in which he has played more than one thousand games, 1191 to be precise, winning 656 of them.
He has also won the Stanley Cup three times with New Jersey Devils, winning them in 1993, 2000 and 2003. Brodeur has also won a gold medal with the Canadian Hockey Team back in 2002 and 2010 plus a World Cup in 2004. But the thing that goes against him is
his age, which is already 40 along with having just two years left in his contract.
Another experienced veteran, who does not have this age and contract issue, is last year’s alternative captain of New Jersey Devils, 36-year-old Patrick Elias.
Elias holds the New Jersey Devils record for the most points in a season and the most career game-winning goals which are 96 and 74 respectively. He is also their all time top scorer with 361 goals and 533 points.
Like Brodeur, he was in the New Jersey Devil’s squad that won a Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003. He has also been playing there since the last 17 years, i.e. from 1995. But like Brodeur, he is getting older and has just one year left with his contract but being
alternative captain surely makes him a contender.
Only young player that has a possible candidate is Ilya Kovalchuk. 29 years-old Russian was also the alternative captain of New Jersey Devils last year.
The thing which makes him better candidate for captaincy than Bradeur and Elias is that he is just 29 years-old and has plenty of hockey left in him unlike the rest. He has also got a contract with New Jersey Devils which would keep him there until 2025.
So he might be the next captain and the next face New Jersey Devils.
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