Barzal: Islanders' record to blame for Parise's departure
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal believes his team's middling 20-17-11 record was the driving factor behind Zach Parise's decision to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.
"I'm sure if we had won eight of the games that we probably could have this year and were 15, 16 points - 10 points even - ahead of where we're at today, I'm sure he'd be in blue and orange," Barzal said ahead of Saturday's clash against the Florida Panthers, per Newsday's Andrew Gross.
"He knows his time is ticking and Colorado is a front-runner for winning the Cup. I wish that we had done a better job to allow him to come here."
The Islanders currently sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division and seventh in terms of points percentage, ahead of only the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. New York is four points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and has played the same number of games.
The Avalanche, meanwhile, won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and remain one of the league's best teams. They've been challenging for first place in the Central Division all season and currently hold the top spot with a 32-14-3 record, but the Winnipeg Jets are two points behind with three games in hand, while the Dallas Stars are trailing by just one point.
Parise is 39 years old and has never lifted Lord Stanley's Mug. He appeared in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final as a member of the New Jersey Devils, but they fell to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
The veteran signed a one-year, $825,000 pact with the Avalanche on Friday after spending the last two seasons on Long Island. He didn't miss a game while wearing an Islanders jersey, totaling 36 goals and 69 points in 164 contests.
"It's exciting for him," Islanders forward Brock Nelson said of his former teammate's new opportunity. "We definitely would have loved to have him here. He was a great guy for this group. A veteran guy that deserves to win and has another chance to do that in Colorado."
Last spring, both the Islanders and Avalanche were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Parise told reporters in May that he'd likely return to New York or retire.
The Islanders will not face Colorado again this campaign.