Parise will not attend Islanders training camp, remains unrestricted free agent

Forward Zach Parise will not attend training camp with the New York Islanders and remains and unrestricted free agent, general manager Lou Lamoriello said on Monday. However, Lamoriello did not rule out the 39-year-old returning later this season.

"Zach Parise will not be here," Lamoriello said. "Zach will be with his family. We will see how the rest of the season goes, but right now, it's important for him to be there. He's spent a couple of years away, and so that is the decision at this point."

Following the Islanders six-game elimination at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, Parise stated that he would either return to the Islanders or retire from the National Hockey League.

"To my knowledge, he is not retiring," Lamoriello said. "In fact, I don't feel he will at this point.

"The door was always open. And I think everybody knows the relationship that I have with Zach, from when he was 17 years old, and I understand, appreciate, and respect the decision where he's at. But I think that when you have a player like that, who loves the game, the way he looked and had the success he had and what he did for the team, it's a tough thing for him to make that decision, so you allow him to go as long as you possibly can without pressing or asking."

Parise has played the past two seasons with the Islanders, scoring 36 goals and 69 points in 164 games. In 1,124 career games with the Islanders, Minnesota Wild, and New Jersey Devils, the Edina, Minnesota native has recorded 429 goals and 450 assists. He was originally selected 17th overall by the Devils in the 2003 NHL Draft. The one-time All-Star scored a career-high 45 goals with the Devils in the 2008-09 season. 

"It's really special to play with a guy like that," Islanders captain Anders Lee said July 13. "He's had such a successful career and you know, at his age, just to see what he's doing out on the ice is extremely impressive. And you can't find a better guy in the room."