Minnesota Wild To Buy Out Zach Parise, Ryan Suter

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two of the biggest names on the Minnesota Wild roster for many years running are on their way out.

According to a tweet from the team, the Wild are in the process of buying both forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter out of their contracts.

Both were signed to the team almost a decade ago on identical 13-year, $98 million contracts. They both had four years left on their contracts.

Both players will be unrestricted free agents on July 28, eligible to sign with any team other than the Wild.

The move is expected to clear more than $10 million in cap space.

"Zach and Ryan have been an integral part of the Wild's success over the past nine years and we'll always be grateful for their many contributions," Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said. "There were numerous factors that entered into the difficult decision to buy out their contracts, but primarily these moves are a continuation of the transformation of our roster aimed at the eventual goal of winning a Stanley Cup."

Guerin is expected to speak at 1 p.m.

Across his nine seasons with the team, Parise racked up 199 goals, good for third most in team history. Suter's 314 assists are good for second most in Wild history. Parise and Suter rank third and fourth, respectively, on a list of the team's all-time points leaders.

In the pair's nine years with the Wild, the team missed the playoffs only once.

Stay with WCCO.com as more details are available.

In:
• NHL
• Minnesota Wild