The Colorado Avalanche bolstered its forward depth Friday by signing free-agent forward Zach Parise to a one-year contract.
Parise has played the past two seasons for the New York Islanders. The 39-year-old wing had 21 goals and 34 points last season but did not sign with anyone during the offseason. The deal is worth $825,000, The Denver Post confirmed. It includes no performance bonuses, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
“We are excited to add Zach to our group,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement released by the team. “Over his impressive NHL career, Zach has always been a highly competitive and driven forward who is hard to play against. We look forward to adding his veteran presence to our locker room.”
The move could help the Avs replace Tomas Tatar, who was signed late in the offseason but had one goal and nine points in 27 games before being traded to Seattle.
Parise was a first-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in 2003. He has played for the Devils, Minnesota Wild and Islanders in his 18-year career. He has 429 goals in 1,224 career NHL games, and 37 goals in 111 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests.
He played for the United States in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Parise was teammates with Avs defenseman Jack Johnson at the 2010 games in Vancouver and captained the American team at the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.
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