Zach Parise will test the free agent market. He will not re-sign with the Devils before seeing what else is available to him. That doesn't mean the Devils are out of the running, but it does reduce the likelihood he will be back in New Jersey next season. We are betting Detroit or Pittsburgh will ink the talented two-way winger.

Bob McKenzie is reporting that Zach Parise will announce by 10:00 am Sunday if he is leaving New Jersey. Parise apparently met with Devils GM Lou Lamoriello Saturday night in Toronto and will give him a two-hour heads up if he is headed out the door. Stay tuned.

The Los Angeles Kings would love to add Zach Parise to their Stanley Cup winning lineup. The Kings could use some scoring on the left side and there is no one available who is better than Parise. The Kings have enough room under the salary cap for the unrestricted free agent to be. Look for them to be in the mix along with Pittsburgh, Detroit and his old team, the New Jersey Devils.

Zach Parise's friendship with Sidney Crosby might help the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two went to the same prep school in Minnesota. Crosby also shared a suite with Parise's family during the 2012 Stanley Cup finals. The Penguins are expected to go after Parise if he hits the free agent market on July 1. If Parise signs with the Penguins, then he'll be projected to play on the same line as Crosby for years to come.

Zach Parise said that the Devils aren't necessarily out of the picture if he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. "Not at all. I'm sure a lot of people will think that, but that's very far from the case," said Parise. "If it does happen to get to Sunday, that's by no means saying I don't want to go back to New Jersey." The Devils will face stiff competition from the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild if their captain hits free agency, but his interest in coming back will at least keep them in the hunt.

As the Wild attempt to sign Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, they plan to sell them on the team's youth movement. General manager Chuck Fletcher hopes to sell the unrestricted free agents on the fact that they will be able to win through the length of their long-term deals because the Wild, he feels, have a promising future. "This is a start of a new era," Fletcher said. "The fact they're turning pro is significant. It's not just down the road anymore. We can actually see the road now. What's exciting for me is when you look at it now, just from a prospect standpoint, you look at the forwards we have, the goaltenders we have, the defensemen we have, it's a well-rounded prospect pool. Our best days are ahead of us. We all want to get there tomorrow. But if we have a little bit of patience here, we're all going to be rewarded in a big way."

The Devils confirmed that no team approached them this weekend with an offer for the rights to negotiate with UFA Zach Parise. New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello didn't plan on trading Parise's rights but it is interesting that no NHL team made an offer. We suspect that most everyone knows that Parise wants to test the free agent market.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly planning to go after Zach Parise if he hits the free agent market. Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded Jordan Staal to Carolina, they probably have enough cap space to present Parise with a competitive offer. Parise would certainly bolster the Penguins already scary offense and further cement their position as a powerhouse going into the 2012-13 campaign.

Zach Parise's agent, Wade Arnott, figures to have an informal chat with New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello at the NHL draft this weekend, but it doesn't appear as though anything substantial will happen until afterward. Arnott said he expects to talk with Parise on Monday to see where he plans to focus his attention prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent. That situation would give the Devils about six days to try to re-sign him before he can listen to offers from 29 other teams.

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur wants to see the Devils lock up potential unrestricted free agent Zach Parise. "I think he is the face of the Devils," said Brodeur. "He is a kid that people, they see him, and they see a Devil. They see the type of work ethic he has. And I said this after the game, first year as a captain, not too shabby to bring a team like us to the Stanley Cup finals, so it's a big priority for the Devils to get him signed." Parise expressed his desire to re-sign with the team on Wednesday, but free agency is quickly approaching.