Islanders GM addresses Zach Parise's future among retirement rumors

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has adressed the future of Zach Parise.

Parise is currently 39 years old and remains a free agent. He has said that he will either retire or re-sign with the Islanders. He has been in New York for the last two seasons and has had some success there.

However, Parise is yet to re-sign and Lamoriello revealed Zach Parise will not be at training camp as no deal has been reached. However, he added that he doesn't think Parise will actually retire.

"Zach Parise will not be here. 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. To my knowledge, he is not retiring. In fact, I don't feel he will at this point."

Although Lou Lamoriello says Zach Parise won't be in training camp, the New York Islanders GM isn't ruling out a return mid-season.

Lamoriello says the door is open for a return with Parise and will have a roster spot and his number ready if he decides to keep on playing.

"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."

He continued:

"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. I think he made the right decision for his family, and then we'll just keep the door open for him. And as I said to him, we'll keep the number (No. 11) open, too."

Zach Parise's career stats

If Zach Parise does retire, he would end his career with 1224 games played and has recorded 879 points.

Parise was drafted 17th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2003 and spent his career with the Devils, Minnesota Wild, and New York Islanders.

The American also won world junior gold in 2004 and the silver medal in the 2010 Olympics, and also served as the captain for the 2014 Olympics.