The financial situation in New Jersey is getting a little murky. The truth is that Ray Chambers desperately wants to get rid of his stake in the team and the rest of the ownership group is trying to refinance about $80 million in debt. On top of all that, the team faces the unfortunate reality that one of the faces of their franchise, Zach Parise, is set to hit the open market on July 1.
Talk about horrible timing.
Today, Parise spoke a little bit about the team’s financial situation. For anyone looking forward to Parise hitting the open market, it’s interesting that these remarks were made by a player who is set to sign a huge contract in the near future.
“You hear about teams that, no matter what, they’re not going to spend to the cap,” Parise told the New York Post. “That’s just the way they are. It’s hard to be competitive if you’re not going to, if you can’t spend as much as these other teams. So if there’s a change, you hope that part won’t change, because we’ve always been a salary cap team.”
On top of the organization’s individual concerns, it’s important to remember that the financial landscape of the entire league will likely shift with the new collective bargaining agreement. Will the Devils be able to continue to shell out money for an increased payroll? Will there be a rollback in current salaries that give the team a little more breathing room? Will a lower salary cap force the team’s hand? Only time will tell if the Devils will continue to spend to the salary cap next season.
There are plenty of variables that will affect Parise’s future in New Jersey. But no matter what the salary cap is next season, Parise’s made it clear that he hopes the team spends to the limit. After all, they’ll probably need to if they want to lock him up to a long-term contract.