The NHL free agent period was a bit surprising this summer. The two marque players, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter shocked the hockey world by choosing Minnesota over some more traditional hockey powers. They each signed massive long-term deals with the Wild, but certainly left some cash on the table. It could be argued that they left their chances of winning a Stanley Cup there too.

Rick Nash provided most of the rest of the drama this summer. It wasn’t necessarily a matter of “if” but when the former Columbus captain would get his wish and get traded to the New York Rangers. The long suffering power forward had been the face of the Blue Jackets since day one and was essentially a one-man show the majority of his time there. Nash heads to a team that needs him almost as much as he needed them. The Rangers’ leading goal scorer Marian Caborik, will be out until mid-November after surgery on a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Both of these wingers got to choose the jersey the would sport for the next few years at least. Both guys surrendered a captains “C” to join their new roster, but will take on a major role in helping their new squad.  A fresh start and new expectations have historically been a difficult combination for free agents and big name trades. There are certainly exceptions to this, but by and large it takes a special situation for a player to exceed their previous performances and make the large financial investments look worthwhile.

From a fantasy standpoint Parise and Nash are interesting options. They carry the weight of a big name, but both will need to have a significant year to show that their most productive days aren’t in the rear view mirror. Parise is three years removed from a 94-point season, a spike that he has approached only one other time in his seven-year career.

He may not put up a 90-point season, but Parise will be involved in about every offensive endeavor in Minnesota. He will feature prominently in the Wild’s special team plans and have no fear, he will take a captain’s share of the shots. Pencil him in for 30-35 goals and about the same number of assists. He’ll leave the hitting and shot blocking to the other bigger guys in Minnesota, and plays well enough on the entire ice to keep his plus/minus on the good side.

A good bit of the success of both Nash and Parise will depend on their ability to mesh with their new teammates. No player was more anxious to get on the ice this summer than Nash, who has never played on a NHL roster with this much talent. In theory, “experts” are projecting Nash to have a career season. A more realistic look for fantasy owners will be some Gaborik-like numbers from last year. Nash will have every opportunity to get to the 40-goal mark for the third time in his career.

Always a more of a scorer than an assist man, Nash has always taken a ton of shots. He will play with more capable centers than he is used to, and a defense like he has never seen. Look for his power play points to improve, but Nash most likely will not see time on the Rangers penalty kill. He’ll use his big body to get an average number of hits, but that’s not what he’s on the ice for.

Overall I would give my endorsement to Rick Nash. It’s hard to temper the thoughts that Nash could put up career number for the Broadway Blueshirts, but even if he has a typical Rick Nash-year, I think that he is a more favorable pick than Parise. The new Wild wing should have a solid year as well, but it will be interesting to see how he integrates into coach Mike Yeo’s style.