New Jersey Devils: Will Patrik Elias Retire?

With the New Jersey Devils season now over, 40-year old Patrik Elias has a decision to make.  Should he retire, or try and come back for one more season?

It’s decision time for Patrik Elias. Right when the season ended, he stated that he was reconsidering his future after a nice little return for the last three games of the year.  Does that mean that he planned on retiring? Most Devils fans were thinking this was going to be his last year after only playing in 16 games.  It really is a special circumstance that you don’t see very often in sports anymore; that is, a professional athlete having a long career with a single franchise.  In an era when athletes change teams often, Elias has been a Devil since 1995.  Let that sink in. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points, goals and assists.  That speaks for itself.

Here’s the deal: if a player thinks he still has gas left in the tank, he should go for it. The question is, does Elias actually have anything left in the tank, and if so, how does he fit into the Devils’ future?   The Devils already have another highly paid forward who is injured all the time.  *COUGH* Mike Cammalleri *COUGH*.   And don’t even get me started on the Ryan Clowe situation. Realistically, he probably doesn’t have a full tank of gas.  Durability is a question. We know that.  He just underwent surgery on the same knee that kept him out of the majority of this past season.  Can he even stay healthy for a full season at 40 years old?

At least Elias is being honest about his future and himself.  “We’ll see,” he said. “I want to evaluate everything during the summer — make sure I’m feeling good enough healthwise. That’s the bottom line. Mentally, hockeywise, I can play. The health is the most important thing. If that doesn’t allow you to play to your potential, then you have to be honest with yourself — if you’re doing something positive for the team. I don’t want to be a burden for anyone. Not for the team, not for my teammates, not for my family.”

It all depends on what the Devils plan on doing this offseason.  Young guys like Boucher and Blandisi have proved that they can be full-time NHL players.  Pavel Zacha and newly-signed Miles Wood will have a good chance of making the team next year.  John Quenneville has been making noise in the WHL. Devante Smith-Pelly trade has looked better and better everyday if the Devils can resign him.  For the first time in a long-time, the Devils have some good, young talent in the pipeline.  This doesn’t even include any potential moves/signings that Ray Shero makes in the off-season.

“I believe I can still help the team. But I understand it’s a risk. You don’t want to have a guy playing 10 or 15 games a season. The knee felt better than I expected.”

Where does that leave Elias?  It’s a similar situation to Brodeur after final last season in New Jersey.  You don’t want to see a Devils legend leave and play for another team.  But if he does try and come back next year, there is no promise that it would be with New Jersey. The Devils are in the process of rebuilding and are trying to get younger, not older.  He’s no better than a 3rd line player these days and he would have to take a big pay cut to remain with the team.  He has said that playing for another team would tarnish his career.  Yet, did you ever expect to see Martin Broduer play for another team?  Stranger things have happened. The thing is, you don’t want to hold onto him just for nostalgic reasons and end up disrupting both the present and future of the team.

Next: New Jersey Devils Free Agency: The Class of 2016

If Patrik Elias wants to return next year, he should.  If you were in his shoes and have a chance to play professional hockey for even one more year, you would do it.  Look at Jaromir Jagr, he’s having the time of his life and says he’ll play til he’s 50.  If you can still play, then play.  If the Devils decide that they don’t want to sign Elias, I don’t blame them.  I can see how he doesn’t fit into their future.  And if Elias decides he wants to test free agency and try to play one more year with another team, no hard feelings.

Regardless if he retires or not, his #26 jersey will be the next one retired and hanging in the rafters at the Prudential Center.