27 greatest American NHL players of all-time

Center. Minnesota Wild. Zach Parise. 26. player. 98. <p>I think Zach Parise is one of the more underrated players of his generation and 10 years from now will rank much higher on this list than he does today in the middle of his career. Parise was the No. 17 overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 draft and led the team to the playoffs in six of his seasons with the team.</p> <p>Parise had four seasons with at least 30 goals with the Devils, including the 2008-2009 season when he set career-highs in goals with 45, assists with 49 and points with 94. He developed into one of the best two-way centers in the NHL and set a career-high as a plus-33 that year en route to finishing eighth in the Selke, third in the Lady Byng and fifth for the Hart. He led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 when he scored a postseason-high eight goals but lost to the Los Angeles Kings.</p> <p>That was the last season in New Jersey for Parise who would sign a lucrative free agent deal with his hometown Minnesota Wild in the offseason and he’s led the Wild to the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the team and has 156 points in 189 games so far with the Wild.</p> <p>His place on this list involves some projection, but I feel comfortable saying he will easily join the 1,000-point club and has a chance to hit the 500-goal plateau with 274 goals through his age-30 season.</p>