Parise eager to prove he's got plenty left in the tank

There is perhaps no player in the Wild dressing room more proud than forward Zach Parise. Which is why his stretch of games towards the end of the regular season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs was so difficult for him behind the scenes.
To his credit, Parise handled the situation like a pro. He didn't bellyache or become a distraction to his teammates. Instead, he patiently waited his turn, which would eventually come in Game 4 of Minnesota's First Round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Parise kept himself ready, and took advantage of the chance when it came, finishing the series with a pair of goals and an assist as the Wild lost in seven games.

"The hardest part is watching your teammates play. Not practicing on a line consistently. I think watching them play in the playoffs for those first three games was brutal," Parise said. "You play the game, you start each season so excited about the season, but with the prospect of playoffs and playing in playoffs. When you have to watch your team play, that's tough. That was hard.
"I've known the whole time that that's the player that I am and can be. Given the opportunity, there was no doubt in my mind that I can play and contribute. But at the same time, when you get back in there and you are able to contribute and, still we're sitting here now and not still playing, so it's not, there's no satisfaction out of losing in that Game 7. That's what's most important right now is how can we improve? How can we get better?"

It was a trying season as a whole for Parise, who was often scratched down the stretch, playing in just 45 of the team's 56 games during the regular season.
A handful of those came when he was out of the lineup because of COVID-19, but Parise was also scratched for three of the final four regular season contests, jumping back into the lineup in for the regular season finale when many of the Wild's other regulars were scratched for rest.
Parise watched from above in Games 1, 2 and 3 to start the postseason as well, drawing into the lineup in Game 4 when Marcus Johansson sustained a broken arm in Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center.
Wild General Manager Bill Guerin, a longtime former player himself, said he's been through some of the same trials that Parise went through near the end of the season.
He said he knows better than anyone how difficult it can be to be in that position.
"Of course it is. Yeah, 100 percent," Guerin said. "Hey, look: [Wild coach] Dean [Evason] and I both played. We get it. You know what? Of course we thought about that. These guys are all human beings. They all have emotions. They all feel. You know what? When you do play guys, when you cut ice time or when you healthy scratch 'em, yeah, they're not happy. We know that. We expect that, and we expect them to fight back.
"When Zach got back in the lineup, we fully wanted him to try to prove us wrong, and he did to some extent, and he came back improved. You think we were mad about that? We were happy. He scored the goals, and I was in my box watching the games, clapping. We were happy for him."

On the season, Parise finished with seven goals and 18 points in 45 games but was a plus-7. During a six-game stretch between April 7 and 17, which came right after his bout with illness, Parise scored four goals and had two assists and was a plus-6, proving that he still has the ability to drive offense during that stretch.
The challenge for the Wild now will be to mend any broken feelings and finding the right role for the soon-to-be 37-year old forward who has four years remaining on his contract.
"You never sign a deal and not fully intend on seeing it through," Parise said. "I understand things change but from my standpoint, I've always enjoyed playing here. We're invested in the community here. So the last thing you want to do is up your family and move and get out of here. So, no, I don't see myself. I don't want to play anywhere else."
Having an opportunity to redeem himself next season with a spot in the lineup, and potentially on the power play, could go a long ways towards soothing any lingering animosity from the end of this season.
Guerin didn't close the door on granting Parise that opportunity either.

"This is a funny business. It's all about what have you done for me lately, and you know what? Zach put himself in a really good position at the end of the year," Guerin said. "We'll never say never. You can't pigeonhole guys. You can't say, 'You're going to be here, and that's it, and not budge.' Why would we do that? We're only going to hurt the team. So you have to be open-minded, and you have to be flexible."
Parise is confident that if he's granted a fair chance to compete in training camp, he can get back to his old productive self as normalcy returns for 2021-22. There's never been any doubt about his work ethic on the ice, and if there is anything this experience has done, it's made for one motivated player this offseason too.
"I have no problem coming back in here ready to go. That's where my mentality is right now," Parise said. "You always hope that you come back with a clean slate and come back and spots are up for grabs. I'm very confident that if spots are up for grabs, I'll be able to grab one of those. That's what I'm looking forward to, and then we'll see what happens."
Related:
- Fiala eager to take next step in his career, and do it in Minnesota - Evason ready for Wild to take the next step - Kaprizov's rookie season smashed Wild's tempered expectations - Eriksson Ek takes strides in contract season - In his first season with the 'C,' Spurgeon is rightfully recognized - Season wrap up: What Guerin and Evason had to say - Season wrap up: What was said around the locker room