Detroit Red Wings: Throwing it back to the summer of 2012
By Tyler Kotila
The bad news finally rolls in and Detroit Red Wings fans summers have a damper placed on them.
Fast forward to July 4th, 2021; Red Wings fans are enjoying America’s holiday all over, including myself. The free-agent frenzy has calmed a bit, but the rumors about Parise and Suter are still stirring.
The alert rolls across the news, “Zach Parise to sign a 13-year, $98 million contract with the Minnesota Wild.” Followed by “Ryan Suter to sign 13-year, $98 million contract with the Minnesota Wild.”
Two crushing blows to the Red Wings offseason. It was a brutal fallout for the summer, missing out on those two, so it seemed. But, in the summer of 2021, something happened. The Wild have bought out both Parise and Suter from their 13-year contracts.
Speaking of buyouts. Keith Yandle would add left-handed shot to Detroit Red Wings blueline. light
Both were slated to be in Minnesota through the 2024-25 season, but now they are both free agents. So, the Red Wings faithful can gear up for a big free-agent run where the team salvages a 2012 loss and goes to get their guys.
Just kidding. Parise and Suter are both entering the 2021-22 season as 36-year-olds. Looking at things, their time in Minnesota was nothing to write home about. There were postseason runs, but none of them resulted in a Stanley Cup.
In fact, the farthest the team made it was to a Quarterfinal in 2012-23, where the Chicago Blackhawks defeated them en route to a championship victory. So, the Red Wings may have avoided a disaster, but looking back, the summer of 2012 was viewed as quite the disappointment.