Wild, not Wings, land Suter and Parise

By Michael Caples –

The Fourth of July was not kind to Detroit Red Wings fans.

After a four-day decision process, prized free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter – both targeted by the Red Wings’ front office – finally announced that they will be members of the Minnesota Wild next season, according to TSN and other sources.

The two Americans – Parise is from Minnesota, Suter from Wisconsin – both signed 13-year deals with the Wild, worth $98 million.

The Wings will now turn their attention to other free-agent defensemen – Matt Carle, Matt Gilroy, and Carlo Colaiacovo are some of the top blueliners still available.

Detroit could also be active on the trade front; there have been plenty of rumors about them going after Columbus forward Rick Nash. Or, they could extend an offer sheet to restricted free agent and Nashville captain Shea Weber.

It will be interesting to see what the Wings do moving forward; addressing their defensive unit should continue to be a top priority.