50 Greatest New Jersey Devils Players Of All Time

Greatest New Jersey Devils player of all time: 4. Patrik Elias

We can already sense the arguments starting, but it’s impossible to be wrong when arguing for the Devils top four players ever. Patrik Elias is the best offensive player to stick with the Devils for a long time. He had a borderline Hall-of-Fame career while playing all 1,240 games with New Jersey.

Elias owns all of the offensive records. He’s like Wayne Gretzky for the Devils. He has more goals, assists, and points than anyone who’s ever worn a Devils jersey. He’s also the greatest player to spend his entire career in New Jersey. There’s so much to love about Elias. He was incredibly resourceful in his career, competing into his late 30s, and doing it at a high level.

If Elias played today, he’d be considered in the same light as Patrice Bergeron. He was one of the best in the league on both sides of the ice. He probably lost some points playing on the penalty kill, but he made the best of it. He’s second to Madden with 16 career shorthanded goals.

For plenty of players, the stats don’t tell the entire story. Elias is different. He deserved every one of those 1,025 points. The Devils don’t get to the heights they did at the turn of the millennium without him. His 2000-01 season might be the best season of any player in team history. Yes, we’re including all positions. It’s up for debate because Elias was unstoppable that year. He was rarely below his standards, and that’s how he lasted 20 seasons in New Jersey.