What the Devils Should Do with Patrik Elias

He’s the franchise leader all-time in goals, assists, and points. He’s had countless heroic moments in the playoffs and regular season. He’s won two Stanley Cup championships with the team. No doubt, his will be the fifth number retired by New Jersey, and may be the last sweater retirement the team sees for a long time.

But it’s January now, and the team has yet to make a decision on what to do with Patrik Elias. For that matter, reports still seem to indicate that Elias himself has yet to decide what he will do. As recently as December, Coach John Hynes seemed to have no definitive answer on where the team stands on it’s greatest scorer. While the team never expected an answer in the first half of the season, the rest of us would like to know what’s to become of this fan favorite and all-time great.

So what’s next for Patrik Elias? And where does the team go from here?

What We Know

First, the Devils have expressed interest several times in bringing Elias back to the team. Ray Shero expressed interest in keeping Elias close and allowing him the full appropriate time to rehab in a statement made to The Record back in September. “… We’re going to keep an open mind both ways, but it’s great having Patrik around.” Devils fans would surely agree, having enjoyed nearly twenty years with Elias as a central part of the team. The general feeling around the team seems to be that if Patty is good to go, there’s a spot for him on this team.

We also know that Elias wants to stay with the Devils. In a statement to SportsNet, Elias’ agent, Allen Walsh, shared that “he desperately wants to play one more year. We’re not talking to any other teams.” If Elias plays another year, he wants it to be with the Devils. Perhaps Elias is thinking about his legacy. Devils fans still get nauseous seeing Martin Brodeur in his St. Louis Blues jersey. I mean…that’s just wrong. Elias doesn’t seem interested in going the same way. If he plays, he plays for Jersey.

Finally, we know that Elias, even if healthy, may be a little bit of a liability. He’s forty years old. He’s got bad knees. And while a veteran like him may not need a training camp to get up to speed, the question will be whether he’s going to be effective in half a season. Chances are Elias could find his niche, but would it be worth all of this just to have Patty skating on the fourth line and penalty kill unit?

With this high risk also comes the chance for a high reward, however. He found instant chemistry with Pavel Zacha in last year’s final game and certainly the youngster would love to play with his idol even more if it meant greater production. He also has wonderful puck control and vision, something many of the Devils players seem to lack this season.

The Options

The choices for the Devils in this case are pretty clear. They could…

1. The Teemu Selanne Treatment: The most desirable approach for the fan base and for Elias’ legacy. Wait him out. When he decides he’s ready, he gets a deal that will take him through the end of the year and gives him a chance to make another decision about his own future in the off-season. It puts the power in Elias’ hands, but it would be a low-cost risk for the Devils, even if he doesn’t produce. However, it could significantly impact their trade strategy.
2. Live and Let Go: Perhaps the best decision for business and long-term stability. On one hand, Devils could say goodbye to Elias and allow him to sign elsewhere, thus allowing them to move forward with any trade strategy they might have. On the other hand, they can sign Elias when he’s ready, then work out a deal to trade him for younger talent or draft picks. They then avoid the risk of sub-par production and continue working towards the rebuild. It would kill Elias’ legacy and would be a huge mark against the Devils and Ray Shero for shipping out a legend, but could strengthen the rebuilding effort.
3. Die a Hero: Perhaps the most low-stress of all the options, Elias decides to retire and is offered a well-paying position somewhere within the organization. While it seems unlikely given that Elias continues to skate at the facility and is around the team, a slow recovery may just convince him that his time is up. He goes out a hero, his legacy intact, and the #26 gets raised to the rafters of Prudential Center sometime in 2018.

What the Devils Should Do

As much as it might not be the most productive thing to do, the Devils might actually benefit long term from keeping Elias in the fold. If it worked for Teemu Selanne, there’s no reason to doubt it could work for Patrik Elias. The Devils should wait Elias out, and sign him when he’s ready. He likely will only have one more season in him anyway, so why not make sure his transition into a coaching or front office position goes smoothly?

His veteran leadership and locker room presence have been instrumental in turning the team around before. His mentoring a young star of the future like Pavel Zacha could have an effect for years to come. If he can play, great. He could improve two key areas of the Devils currently awful play. First, a whopping 28% of his 408 career goals have come on the power-play, where the Devils are next-to-last in the league. Secondly, his career shooting percentage of 12.4% is far above the NHL average (9.1%), helping to make the team more efficient in their chances. Of course, if he can’t play, he’ll let the Devils know soon enough, and his impact as a leader, a champion, and an all-time great stays perfectly intact.

None of this is to suggest that simply adding Elias into the mix makes this a playoff team. They’re pretty far from that. But it’s doubtful they could get much worse than they are now. And adding a veteran who has some significant upside for the second half of the season could help coaches and management gauge exactly how the rebuild is progressing. Elias’ voice will be important for that, too. The result? A hero’s ending for one the greatest players in New Jersey Devils franchise history. And perhaps his fingerprints on the success of this team’s future.