Patrik Elias, the Devils’ all-time leading scorer, is still unsure if he’ll return for another kick at the can.
“Patrik knew, we knew as an organization, coming into this year that it probably wasn’t going to be a first half of the season type of situation,” head coach John Hynes said this week, per NJ.com. “He’s still going through the process of trying to figure out whether or not he’s going to be able to play.”
Elias, 40, has been using the Devils’ facilities to rehab from offseason knee surgery. His three-year, $16.5 million deal expired in July and he remains unsigned, with no clear outlook as to when he could potentially return to action.
The veteran Czech winger has been skating and, based on various reports over the summer, does still have a desire to play. This would suggest his decision is based largely on health -- he was only able to appear in 16 games last year while dealing with the aforementioned knee problems.
Despite the health woes, Elias was fairly productive last year, scoring eight points while averaging 15:26 TOI per night.