Parise and Suter signings didn't go unnoticed

I don’t think that anyone one is going to feel sorry for the NHL owners during the upcoming CBA negotiations when they say we’re broke and we can’t afford to play these big exuberant salaries anymore… Seriously! No one is going to feel sorry for the owners – especially after the Minnesota Wild’s owner signed two players for a total of 196 million dollars. I just don’t see there being a lot of empathy – especially for the Wild owner Craig Leipold.

I would imagine that the players have been watching these players’ signings as well.

Michael Russo, Star Tribune --- Leipold responded Monday, saying, "Listen: We've been losing money and the way we were going, we were going to have another year of 'keep losing more money and more money and more money.' So if I'm going to make the kind of financial commitment to keep this team and move this forward, I'd rather do it growing it.

"Ultimately that was the decision. As a result of this move, it's not going to cause us to be financially stable. I believe it will be within a year or two. This is a move to get us out of the hole that we've been digging. And as I spoke with some other owners in the league as to why I did it, they totally get it. They understand it. At some point you have to make that kind of commitment in order to turn your franchise around. If we didn't, then we would just keep losing more going forward without any plan of changing it."

Ironically, the day after the spending spree, Leipold was one of the owners who sat in the bargaining session between the NHL and NHL Players' Association in New York. The league has moved to terminate the collective bargaining agreement and negotiate another. The current agreement expires Sept. 15, and the league is in danger of a lockout. In 2004-05, the season was wiped out because of a lockout.

The hockey world has been a buzz since the big signing in Minnesota and you can bet that executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association Donald Fehr took note of the signing as well.

The owners want to move to a 50/50 revenue split; currently the players are at 57-43 revenue split. If the players are to accept the 50/50 number would mean that means the players are going to have their salaries rolled back. This could end up being a long fight especially with the recent signing in the NHL during free agency.

Nanne – ‘Good chance Parise’ signs with the Wild

First off, color me cynical, if not almost suspicious that Lou Nanne is on record after conveniently talking to the Wild Wild owner Craig Leipold that he believes that Parise is going to sign with the Minnesota Wild.

Judd Zulgad, 1500ESPN.com --- Former North Stars president and general manager Lou Nanne confirmed as much on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on "Reusse and Mackey" on 1500 ESPN. Nanne said that after talking to Wild owner Craig Leipold last week he believes, "the Wild are going to throw the kitchen sink" at the winger in order to land him.

Nanne said he thinks the fact the financially strapped Devils lost in the Cup finals make it less likely that Parise will stick with that organization. Parise has spent his seven-year NHL career with New Jersey and served as the team's captain.

"I was under the belief that he would have to win the Cup to come to Minnesota until I talked to Craig Leipold last week," Nanne said. "I've gotta tell you, the Wild are going to throw the kitchen sink at him. I think there's a good chance he ends up in Minnesota, because I don't see anybody in the National Hockey League willing to give as much to Parise as the Wild are going to be willing to give. So I would not be surprised if Zach Parise came home."

Nanne went on to say that the Wild will pursue Parise and Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, who also will be a free agent on July 1.

When Parise asked about his future the Devils captain wasn’t ready to talk about the issue.

“I’m not going to talk about that,” the Devils captain said. “I’m not going to talk about that.”

Now that the Stanley Cup Finals are over the six-10 million dollar question is where is former Fighting Sioux All-American forward Zach Parise is going to sign after the July first? I have seen where the Rangers, Redwings, Wild, Bruins and Kings as potential teams where he might end up. I wouldn’t rule New Jersey out either; apparently the New Jersey Devils made 32 million dollars into their coffers off of their Stanley Cup Playoff run.