Zach Parise didn't want a headline when he publicly ruled out the New York Rangers as a destination, but the New Jersey Devils captain - scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - had to know that his comments would make news.

In all honesty, through it's not especially surprising that Parise is ruling out the Rangers.

While it's hardly unheard of for former Devils to wind up with the Rangers -Bobby Holik, Pat Verbeek and Scott Gomez stand out as the most notable examples - it generally doesn't end well on Broadway, with the acquisition of Gomez in particular being a disaster that was only alleviated when he was dealt to the Canadiens for a package that wound up including Ryan McDonagh.

Parise, of course, is a different case than Holik or Gomez, ostensibly entering the prime of his career at the age of 28 (while Gomez was the same age when he signed with the Rangers six years ago, he's shown himself since then to be clearly in decline. Still, though, as a leader of the Devils who's been with the team for seven seasons, it was never easy to imagine Parise embracing the rival Rangers.

In addition to making Parise their captain at the start of the 2011-12 season, the Devils have shown great loyalty to Parise. They signed his older brother, Jordan, out of the University of North Dakota in 2006, and the goaltender played two years with the Devils' AHL team in Albany before eventually heading overseason. The Devils have shown similar loyalty with other members of the team, signing Stephen Gionta in 2006 when his brother Brian was the team's leading scorer, and bringing Travis Zajac's brothers Darcy and Kelly into the fold with the Albany club was well. Business is business, but given the family atmosphere the Devils have fostered, it's hard to imagine Parise adding insult to injury, even if he does decide to leave New Jersey for greener financial pastures.

On top of that, Parise's father, Jean-Paul, played 240 games for the Islanders in the 70s. With links to the Rangers' two biggest rivals, the entire idea of Parise signing with the Rangers was pretty ridiculous in the first place.

The reasons for the speculation are obvious: Parise is one of the top free agents on the market this summer, the Rangers need offensive help, and if they get it, the Stanley Cup may not be far. However, there are just too many reasons for Parise not to sign with the Rangers for it to have been seriously considered as a possibility in the first place.