Minnesota Wild star forward Zach Parise, who underwent back surgery in late October, will make his season debut Tuesday, the team announced Monday.
Parise was recalled from AHL Iowa on Friday, the morning after he was on the ice for the first time in exactly 250 days.
"I’m glad it’s finally here," Parise said in a tweet by the Wild. "I’m glad I get a chance to play (Tuesday) … got the green light.”
The Wild host the Florida Panthers at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.
“It’s his first game, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "It’s going to take some time for him to get to full speed.”
Parise was on the ice for more than 15 minutes Thursday for the Iowa Wild, getting an assist in a loss to the Rockford Icedogs, perhaps the best news being that the $98 million man made it through the entire game without a hiccup.
It was his first game action since April 22, when Minnesota's 2016-17 season ended.
In 12 NHL seasons, the past five with the Wild, Parise has 318 goals and 343 assists for 661 points with 330 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of plus-84.
