There was once a time where the Detroit Red Wings were a top destination for every top free agent in the league.
Of course, that time was a while ago - nearly fifteen years, at that - but the Red Wings were still very much a big player in 2012. Just four seasons removed from their 2008 Stanley Cup victory (and three removed from their last Finals appearance), the Red Wings hoped to find a way to fill the void left by franchise legend Nick Lidstrom as he approached retirement.
That hope came in the form of Ryan Suter, a Nashville Predators defenseman soon to hit free agency. Suter was one of the top defensemen at the time and ready to cash in on a big payday. Another fellow free agent, Zach Parise, was a premier forward in the league, having just come off a 31-goal, 69-point season.
The duo wound up signing identical 13-year deals with the Minnesota Wild, but there was a point in time where they were nearly Red Wings.
What would have happened if they'd joined the club?
It's likely that Suter would have filled in on Lidstrom's spot on the top line. Parise, in turn, would be stapled to Henrik Zetterberg's wing, forming a lethal combination of Parise, Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
There's a chance they may have even won another Stanley Cup with Parise and Suter.
Red Wings would have only briefly extended window
If Parise and Suter joined the Red Wings, there is absolutely a world where they manage to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals in 2012-13. They would then go on to face the Boston Bruins in the Finals, potentially taking home their 12th franchise Stanley Cup.
That said, the Red Wings quickly began their slide into the state they're now in after the 2012-13 season.
From that point on, the Red Wings failed to go beyond the first round of the playoffs, eventually missing them altogether in the 2015-16 season. Zetterberg and Datsyuk retired soon after, leaving the Red Wings with a depleted prospect pool and few talented players on the roster.
Would Parise and Suter have helped the team to win another playoff series? Potentially. Would it have mattered in the long run? Probably not.
Red Wings would be in much worse situation with Parise, Suter
As hard as it is to believe, the Red Wings would likely be in a much, much worse situation than they were in the late 2010s if they had signed Parise and Suter. In 2021, the Wild bought out Parise and Suter's contracts. Both of the players' contracts extended well into their 40s, and, at the rate of decline they were undergoing, there was little to be done for the Wild as a whole.
Per Puckpedia, their buyout cap hits will carry through the 2028-29 season.
If the Red Wings brought on Parise and Suter, they would have surely had to buy out one (or both) of the players. Since teams are only allowed two buyouts on their roster, they would've likely needed to hold onto one of Parise, Suter or Justin Abdelkader.
To make matters worse, as bad as Parise and Suter declined, they were still effective NHLers in their own right. With their long contracts and hefty salary hits, the Red Wings would almost certainly be hamstrung in their attempts to sign new players or bring up young talent.
Players like Filip Hronek, Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha may have never had their opportunities to make the roster had Parise and Suter still been in the picture.
If they bought out the deals at the same time the Wild did, they'd be on the hook for their salaries all the way through the next three seasons.
In the grand scheme of things, the Red Wings dodged a bullet.
Still, in an alternate reality, there's a chance the Red Wings could've won another Cup. Would it have been worth it for all the pain?
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