Both free agents have a long list of suitors, however, and it appears that hated rival Pittsburgh is primed to gobble up Parise. Penguins star Sidney Crosby is close friends with Parise, and he sat in a suite with Parise's family during at least one Stanley Cup Finals game last month.
General managers can't talk to agents of prospective free agents until Sunday, but there's nothing stopping players from talking to each other - or their families.
So if we are reading the tea leaves correctly, Parise is bound for the Steel City.
As for Suter, he reportedly wants to remain in the Western Conference, and he is also considered a longshot for the Flyers.
But make no mistake, the Flyers will be on the phone with both players' agents early Sunday afternoon.
"You can't believe all the rumors that are out there or you might miss out on someone," said one Flyers official.
The Flyers have $58.2 million committed to the new $70.2 million cap for 2012-13, and they can exceed the cap by 10 percent over the summer, bringing the number to around $77 million. (Chris Pronger's $4.9 million cap hit currently counts, but the Flyers will get relief once the season starts if he is placed on the long-term injured list.) They still have to sign four restricted free agents - most notably Jakub Voracek - and a backup goalie.
If Pittsburgh gets Parise, Holmgren's knee-jerk reaction might be to overpay in a trade for Cherry Hill native Bobby Ryan, the gifted right winger from Anaheim, or for expensive Columbus star Rick Nash ($7.8 million cap hit).
He also has this option: Don't trade any of his up-and-coming, relatively inexpensive young players to get Ryan or Nash. Let the kids continue to develop - the Flyers did produce 103 points last season - and wait for next year's glorious free-agent crop.
Shea Weber. Corey Perry. Ryan Getzlaf.
Those are among the big-name potential unrestricted free agents at this time next summer.
The Flyers say they are not even thinking about that 2013 free-agent class right now. Their main focus is on the here and now.
They want to re-sign Matt Carle, but that was made a little trickier when Calgary signed defenseman Dennis Wideman to a five-year deal with a $5.25 million annual cap hit. That probably increased Carle's price tag.
If they don't land Parise, the Flyers will explore the next tier of free agent forwards, players such as P.A. Parenteau (18 goals, 67 points with the Islanders last season) and the gracefully aging Shane Doan (22 goals, 50 points with Phoenix). And they could take a shot at getting a bounce-back year from 6-foot-4, 240-pound winger Dustin Penner, who had a miserable regular season (seven goals, 10 assists with Kings) but is a four-time 20-goal scorer.
They also want to re-sign Jaromir Jagr, whose 19 goals and 54 points last season only scratched the surface of his value. It's no coincidence that Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell had career seasons while playing on a line with the 40-year-old Jagr, whose workaholic attitude was contagious.
Right now, the Flyers have the potential to have a better defense this season. If they re-sign the much-maligned-but-underrated Carle, they will have three good pairs of defensemen, one that includes recently acquired Luke Schenn, who has the potential to be a player who can shutdown the Alex Ovechkins of the league.
The goaltending also figures to be better - doesn't it? - because Ilya Bryzgalov's one-year adjustment period is behind him.
Offensively, though, the Flyers need to add a solid two-way player or two.
Sign Parise and they have the look of a serious Stanley Cup contender.
And what if they watch helplessly as Pittsburgh signs Parise?
Well, the Penguins - who allowed 30 goals in their six-game playoff loss to the Flyers in April - would be a step closer toward being the "on paper" champion, provided they bolstered a sad-sack defense.
Inside the Flyers: Let the Spending Begin
Here are some of the NHL players who are unrestricted free agents, according to CapGeek.com:
2011-12
Player Pos. Last team Age Cap Hit
FORWARDS
Alexander Semin RW Capitals 28 $6.7M
Ryan Smyth LW Oilers 36 $6.25M
Zach Parise LW Devils 27 $6M
Brian Rolston LW Bruins 39 $5.1M
Kristian Huselius LW Blue Jackets 33 $4.75M
Shane Doan RW Coyotes 35 $4.55M
Daymond Langkow C Coyotes 35 $4.5M
Justin Penner LW Kings 29 $4.25M
Teemu Selanne RW Ducks 41 $4M
Brad Boyes RW Sabres 30 $4M
Jason Blake LW Ducks 38 $4M
Sean Avery LW Rangers 32 $3.87M
Jochen Hecht C Sabres 35 $3.52M
Jaromir Jagr RW FLYERS 40 $3.3M
Andrei Kostitsyn RW Predators 27 $3.25M
A. Ponikarovsky LW Devils 32 $1.5M
P.A Parenteau RW Islanders 29 $1.25M
DEFENSEMEN
Michal Rozsival Coyotes 33 $5M
Pavel Kubina FLYERS 35 $3.85M
Jaroslav Spacek Hurricanes 38 $3.83M
Filip Kuba Senators 35 $3.7M
Ryan Suter Predators 27 $3.5M
Jeff Finger Maple Leafs 32 $3.5M
Matt Carle FLYERS 27 $3.44M
Bryan Allen Hurricanes 31 $2.9M
Bryce Salvador Devils 36 $2.9M
Mark Eaton Islanders 35 $2.5M
Garrison, Jason Panthers 27 $675,000
GOALIES
Cristobal Huet Blackhawks 36 $5.625M
Martin Brodeur Devils 40 $5.2M
Dwayne Roloson Lightning 42 3.5M
Antero Niittymaki Sharks 32 $2M
Chris Mason Jets 36 $1.85M
Michael Leighton FLYERS 31 $1.55M
Dan Ellis Ducks 32 $1.5M
Jonas Gustavsson Jets 27 $1.35M
Johan Hedberg Devils 39 $1.25M
Scott Clemmensen Panthers 34 $1.2M
Alex Auld Senators 31 $1M
- Sam Carchidi
Contact Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @BroadStBull.
