NHL teams
Pierre LeBrun, ESPN Senior Writer 12y

Hockey world waits on Parise, Suter

UPDATE: Ryan Suter's agent, Neil Sheehy, told ESPN.com via email at 5:47 p.m. ET, "No decision today from Ryan Suter."

Neither Sheehy nor the Detroit Red Wings would comment on or confirm the Detroit News report that Wings GM Ken Holland flew to Madison, Wis., to meet with Suter in person.

Meanwhile, Wade Arnott, agent for Zach Parise, told ESPN.com at 6 p.m. ET that it was unlikely a decision would be made Tuesday night, although he didn't totally close the door on it.



The wait continued Tuesday morning, as Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contemplated the biggest decisions of their hockey lives.

Parise was slated to fly back to his native Minnesota on Tuesday, and it wasn’t clear when he’d have a decision made, although a source close to him thought sometime Tuesday was a probability.

Likewise, Suter remained undecided.

"When a young man is asked to commit for 13 years, why is it considered extraordinary to take a few days to make a decision? A deal will happen when it happens," Suter’s agent Neil Sheehy told ESPN.com via email Tuesday morning.

While the hockey world waits on Parise and Suter, other unrestricted free agents also wait. Matt Carle is the top UFA defenseman after Suter, and you have to think it won’t take long after Suter signs for Carle to also agree to terms with one of the teams that swung and missed on Suter.

I like Carle a lot as a player. He’s going to be a terrific consolation prize for a Suter suitor. And so, the Carle camp sits and waits.

"Patience is a critical component of this process, and we have plenty of it," Carle’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, told ESPN.com via email Tuesday morning.

More rumblings

  • Forty-year-old Jaromir Jagr has garnered lots of attention as well. His agent, Petr Svoboda, told ESPN.com Tuesday morning that he was hoping to have his future-Hall of Fame client signed with a team by the end of the week.

  • A source close to the Rick Nash situation told ESPN.com Tuesday morning that there is still nothing imminent on the trade front. Of course, Parise still hadn’t signed yet either, which is the moment the Blue Jackets were waiting for to get the ball seriously going again on that front. The suitors, I think, remain the Rangers and Sharks and potentially the Hurricanes. Carolina is not on Nash’s "list," but the Canes would love to get Nash and they’re hoping he’ll change his mind. If I’m Rick Nash, I give Carolina some thought. The Canes are a team on the rise with good young talent and, of course, the recent Jordan Staal acquisition.

  • Once Parise signs, the Bobby Ryan trade talks should also heat up in Anaheim. He’s a cheaper contract to absorb than Nash, so the Ducks could really jam things up for Columbus. I still think the Flyers love Ryan. I think Anaheim wants to try to recoup a second-line center in any deal for Ryan.

  • Cristobal Huet, remember him? He’s a UFA and he’s willing to come back to the NHL on bargain dollars as a backup. I’d take a chance on him. It just so happens the Winnipeg Jets still need to find a backup goalie to replace Chris Mason. I’d be all over Huet if I were the Jets.

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