Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, who each signed free-agent deals with the Minnesota Wild, hope to make Minnesota a coveted landing spot for NHL free agents, according to the Associated Press.
Parise and Suter inked identical 13-year, $98 million contracts with the Wild. The move has generated plenty of excitement within the organization -- and hopefully outside of it, as well.
From the AP:
When Parise and fellow blue-chip free agent Ryan Suter decided to sign matching 13-year, $98 million contracts with the Wild, part of their aim was to turn Minnesota into a destination for the best pros in the league.
"I think at the end of the day, hopefully, with Ryan and I coming here, good players want to play with good players," Parise said Monday when he was introduced along with Suter at a press conference. "Hopefully that helps influence some people if they need some and we have a lot of friends around the league so hopefully that will help, too."
There's a certain chip on the collective shoulder of sports fans in these parts who have grown tired of being overshadowed by the big cities and seeing their teams passed over time and again by the most high-profile free agents in favor of sexier locales.
The Wild have not made any free agent acquisitions since signing Parise and Suter, who were formally introduced at the Xcel Energy Center on Monday.
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