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Patrik Elias

Snapshots: Price, Boucher, Elias, Sharks, Flyers

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Guillaume Lefrançois, writing in Montreal’s La Presse, wrote today about the recovery of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who missed all but 12 games last year with an injury to a right knee ligament. The article is in French, but reading through Google translate, there were several points of interest.

Price, who turns 29 next week, missed all but 12 games last year due to a strained ligament in his right knee. Price has now ended three of his last four seasons with injury, meaning the Canadiens will exercise some level of caution. Still, goaltending coach Stephane Waite tells Lefrançois that the team expects Price to play between 60 and 65 games this season. Before his most recent injury, Price’s two most recent seasons saw him play 59 and 66 games.

Some have expressed concern over Price being named to play for Team Canada in September’s World Cup of Hockey. Waite, who will also be working with Team Canada, dismissed these concerns, pointing out that if not for the World Cup, he’d be risking injury playing in the NHL’s pre-season games.

Continuing throughout the NHL:

  • NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports that the New Jersey Devils have re-signed restricted free agent forward Reid Boucher to a one-year contract. Boucher, who turns 23 in September, was originally a fourth round pick of the Devils in 2011. In 73 games over the last three seasons in New Jersey, Boucher has 11 goals, and 27 points. He’ll receive $715K in the NHL and $70K at the AHL level.
  • Gulitti also responded to a Twitter question about the status of free agent forward Patrik Elias. Gulitti suggests that the Devils will wait to see how their former captain’s injury rehab goes before committing to re-signing him. Elias turned 40 in April.
  • The San Jose Sharks unveiled new uniforms and a new logo today. Included was a third jersey, that says “Los Tiburones.” This is the Spanish translation for “Sharks,” and has served as a local nickname for the club.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that Chris Pryor has been promoted to assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Pryor has been with the Flyers the last sixteen seasons, and most recently worked as director of scouting. Before working with the Flyers, he played 82 games over six NHL seasons with the Islanders and North Stars.

To Retire Or Not To Retire (Part One)

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That is the question, especially for a handful of well-known veterans whose successful careers currently have an indefinite future. The NHL is getting younger and faster, and even the best veterans are being pushed out of the league earlier than ever. Meanwhile though, players like Jaromir Jagr, Shane Doan, and Zdeno Chara are still making a big difference for their teams well past their “prime” years. No one wants to retire while they still believe that they have gas in the tank and can help a team throughout the 82-game season, whether that be a contender in need of depth or a rebuild in need of leadership. The question is not totally on the player either; is there even a market for their services? The following players have had long, storied careers in the NHL, but as the summer continues to dwindle, they must decide whether they’re willing to keep playing, regardless of the team or contract, or if they’re ready to hang up the skates.

Dan Boyle: 40 years old, 24 pts in 2015-16

Boyle has had quite the career. A veteran of over one thousand NHL games, Boyle is a two-time All-Star and a Stanley Cup Champion and was once a perennial Norris candidate. He has been one of the best power play quarterbacks of the last two decades, and helped to usher in the age of the small, possession defenseman being a dominant force in the NHL.  He was a force to be reckoned with during long stints in both Tampa Bay and San Jose. However, at 40 years old, gone are the days where Boyle can still fly around the ice and play top pair minutes. The past two years with the New York Rangers have been less than spectacular, and his average time on ice in 2015-16 was the lowest that it’s been since his days with the Florida Panthers in the late ’90s. The Rangers are not open to a return for Boyle, and in a market where players like Kris Russell, James Wisniewski, and Luke Schenn still remain available in mid-July, it seems unlikely that Boyle would find a suitor, especially one willing to pay him anywhere near his $4.5MM cap hit in New York. Verdict: Retire.

Patrik Elias: 40 years old, 8 pts in 2015-16

It’s always a great story when a player is able to play out his entire career with one team. Whether he retires or not, that will be the case for Patrik Elias and the New Jersey Devils. Elias made his NHL debut with the Devils all the way back in 1995, and twenty years later he is still the heart and soul of the team. The legendary fan favorite helped to lead New Jersey to Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003 and the team has clung to him ever since. With 1025 points in 1240 career games, the four-time All-Star has certainly made the most of his career. He is currently in the top ten among active players in goals, assists, points, plus/minus and nearly every other category. His versatility and ability to play in all situations helped the Devils franchise through all of the ups and downs of the past twenty years. The team now appears poised to be back on the upswing after some recent struggles, but a 40-year-old Elias isn’t going to be the piece that puts them over the top as a playoff team. Injuries kept him to just 16 games last season, as the wear and tear of twenty seasons finally caught up with him. Though Elias is just a few years removed from 53 points in 2013-14, and the Devils may use that to justify one more year with the face of the franchise, it seems like now is the time to call it quits. A position within the Devils organization seems almost like a guarantee, so it’s not as if his hockey career is over. The legend of Patrik Elias will continue. Verdict: Retire.

Scott Gomez: 36 years old, 9 pts in 2015-16

Elias’ teammate on those 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup-winning Devils teams was a young Scott Gomez. The 1999-00 Calder Trophy winner helped to form the Devils dynasty, but his career took a different path than Elias’ did. Gomez left New Jersey in 2007 to sign a seven-year, $51.5MM contract across town with the New York Rangers. Two years in, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal that brought the Rangers current captain Ryan McDonagh. Gomez played three years in Montreal before being bought out in 2012 and since has signed a one-year deal with a new team each year (SJ, FLA, NJ, STL). It’s not exactly the Elias route of sticking with one team, but it has worked for Gomez. His numbers are not what they were in the mid-2000’s, but he has provided a reliable veteran presence on every team, and even put up 34 points in 58 games in his return season to New Jersey in 2014-15. While Gomez has long lost the pedigree he once had, his services seem to be in demand by some team each and every year, and the short one-year deals and limited number of games have kept him from the usual rigors of playing hockey past 35. Gomez may not be a difference maker, but as long as there are teams out there that find you useful, like potentially the Ottawa Senators, who signed Gomez for a short 13-game span at the tail end of last season, then stay available. Verdict: Keep playing.

Brad Richards: 36 years old, 28 pts in 2015-16

Another veteran center who has bounced around since his early days as the face of a franchise is Brad Richards. The 2004 Conn Smythe winner, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to its first ever Stanley Cup championship, has had a very successful and consistent career. Richards had at least 60 points in every full season for the first 11 seasons of his storied career, many of which were spent alongside Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Dan Boyle in Tampa. He was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2008, and then famously signed a nine-year $60MM contract with the New York Rangers in 2011 (which only lasted three years before he was bought out). He has spent the past two years as a productive veteran acquisition, helping the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2014-15 and helping the Detroit Red Wings extent their postseason streak in 2015-16. However, the numbers have noticeably tailed off since Richards left Dallas, and at 35 years old, this past season in Detroit was the worst of his career. It may seem like Richards could fall into that Scott Gomez role of being a perennial veteran addition to a needy team, but the fact that both the Blackhawks and Red Wings jumped on Richards on July 1st the past two years, and he still sits unsigned, make it seem more likely that perhaps Richards is done. He also doesn’t come cheap like Gomez, and the money might not be there this year for a contender to hand out $2-3MM to a 36-year-old coming off a down year. He has certainly cashed in on an excellent career though, and there would likely be no regrets if he called it quits now. Verdict: Retire.

Top-Line Options Remaining In Free Agency

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For many teams, free agency is a place to find a player or two to slot into your top two lines, to supplement the core you already have in place.  Edmonton went out and got Milan Lucic, to add some veteran toughness while replacing the outgoing offensive contribution of Taylor Hall. Vancouver added Loui Eriksson in a questionable move for a team who hasn’t quite decided what direction they’re headed in, and Buffalo brought on Kyle Okposo to ride shotgun with their young talent up front.

Now that the madness has died down, the market for these top-six players is extremely thin, with only a few names having established themselves there in the past.  With Shane Doan surely re-signing with the Coyotes, and Patrik Elias looking as though it’s either Devils or retirement, two of the most well known names among this group aren’t going anywhere.  Here are the other possibilities for a team to add to their top-six:

(number in parentheses represents ranking on our Top 50 UFAs)

  1. Jiri Hudler (18) – Though Hudler is now 32-years old and took a significant step back last season, he still represents one of the better second-line options available. His 46 points in 2015-16 split between the Flames and Panthers were a disappointing total for a player coming off a 31-goal, 76 point season but still ranked him right alongside players like Andrew Ladd (46 points, $38.5MM) and David Backes (45 points, $30MM).
  2. Kris Versteeg (25) – While Versteeg is probably better suited as a third-liner on a good team, he has shown the ability to move up in the lineup consistently in the past.  A three-time twenty goal scorer, Versteeg has scored at least 34 points in each of his seven healthy seasons.  He can play either wing, and brings a level of physicality to his game as well.
  3. Radim Vrbata (27) – Vrbata is clearly on the downswing of his career, having put up just 27 points and a whopping -30 mark last season.  Now 35, he’ll look to sign a cheap deal and could be a nice value signing for a team pressed against the cap. Remember, this is a guy who has over 250 career NHL goals, and is just one season removed from the second 30-goal season of his career.
  4. Alex Tanguay (33) – Though he’s now 37, Tanguay continues to produce like a second-line center, putting up another 35 point campaign despite having a much reduced role after a trade to Arizona.  For a team looking to shelter their young forwards, a veteran like Tanguay can provide some offensive punch on a cheap, short-term deal. He’ll likely break 900 points in what has been an excellent career for the former Avalanche stalwart.
  5. Brandon Pirri (NR) – Despite Pirri’s reputation as a bottom-six forward, some teams might see the former Panther as a second-line option, due to his previous goal scoring ability.  Pirri has potted 36 goals over the past two seasons, including 22 in 2014-15. The problem is that he’s racked up just 17 assists over the same time.  He was an outstanding scorer in his AHL career, and is still just 25-years old, meaning that taking a shot on him might not be the worst gamble among the remaining options.

Latest On The Devils And Patrik Elias

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While New Jersey GM Ray Shero noted earlier this week that they may not be too active in free agency the rest of the offseason in order to keep some spots open for their youngsters, one potential exception to that is long-time Devil Patrik Elias.  Shero told Chris Ryan of NJ.com that the team is still in contact with his agent Allan Walsh as recently as a couple of days ago to check in on how Elias’ recovery from offseason knee surgery on May 11th is going.

Whether a deal or not gets done is dependent on how his rehab goes over the next couple of months.  Elias has indicated to the Devils that he would like to return for one final season and also that he only wants to play with New Jersey.

Elias missed all but 16 games last season due to knee problems.  He was still fairly productive in those games, picking up a pair of goals with six assists while logging just 15:26 per game.  Elias was still a key member of the Devils throughout the year as they kept him around for team meetings and to mentor their younger players, a role he would likely reprise if he is brought back for next season.

The 40 year old Elias has played parts of 20 NHL seasons, all with the Devils after being drafted in the second round (51st overall) in the 1994 draft.  He has a total of 408 goals and 617 assists in 1,240 games in that span and is New Jersey’s all-time franchise leader in goals, assists, points, and shots on goal.

Elias earned $5.5MM last season and would undoubtedly need to take a sizable pay cut to return to the team.  We ranked him 49th on our Top 50 UFA list with him taking a salary of just $2MM with potential bonuses of $2MM (that would depend on games played and production).

Free Agency Snapshots: Best Remaining Players

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As of 11:30pm, Jason Demers signed a five-year deal with Florida. This article was written prior to that contract being signed. 

A variety of analysts weighed in on who they thought the best remaining free agents were on the unrestricted free agent market. USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that defensemen Jason Demers, Kyle Quincey, Kris Russell, James Wisniewski and Justin Schultz are all names that should find a new (or possibly the same) home. Allen still believes that Demers was the best free agent defenseman on the market, but that his reported $5MM pricetag may be scaring teams away. Allen also lists forwards Jiri Hudler, Sam Gagner, P.A. Parenteau, and Matt Cullen as other intriguing options. Allen believes that although Hudler has shown a goal scoring knack, his age (32) may be a factor in his inability to land a deal.

  • NHL.com listed their best of the rest, with many mirroring Allen’s list. However, they listed Patrik Elias, Tomas Fleischmann, Roman Polak, Brad Richards, Luke Schenn, Alex Tanguay, and Radim Vrbata as other options. Most intriguing was the inclusion of Elias, who at 40 years of age, is still looking to play. Though they listed Coyotes captain Shane Doan, it was speculated yesterday that he would be returning to the desert, and that a contract was close.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox also had a similar list to the aforementioned,  though he added Brandon Pirri, and Dennis Seidenberg as two additional options. On Pirri, Fox believes that his 29 points along with his young age (25) makes him a smart addition. Fox calls Seidenberg a dependable stay at home defenseman, but one that won’t “wow” any potential suitors.
  • Finally, Greg Wyshynski writes that any team who signs Russell is making a puzzling acquisition. Wyshynski wonders if Russell could get $5MM for blocking shots–and not much more. Last season, Russell had 19 points (4-15) in 62 games with Calgary and Dallas.

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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The first post-Lou Lamoriello year didn’t go as well as many fans in New Jersey would have hoped as the team missed the postseason by a dozen points.  GM Ray Shero has some work to do to if he wants to turn this roster into a playoff contender for next season.  Here is a look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: Kyle Palmieri was a major bright spot for the Devils after being acquired at the 2015 draft from Anaheim.  The 25 year old winger posted a career best 57 points (his previous high was 31) while adding 30 goals, leading the team in both of those categories.  Palmieri earned just $1.6MM and could potentially triple that on a long-term deal.

Blueliner Jon Merrill is coming off his entry-level contract and has spent the last two years strictly in the NHL.  However, various injuries (including shoulder surgery back in March) limited him to 47 games last year.  Merrill is a candidate to move into a top-4 role for 2016-17 but may have to settle for a one year pact, allowing the team to evaluate how his shoulder heals and he how he fares in a bigger role.

Other RFA’s: F Reid Boucher, F Jacob Josefson, F Sergei Kalinin, F Devante Smith-Pelly

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Patrik Elias missed most of last season with knee problems (and underwent surgery again back in May) but still managed to pick up eight points in 16 games, a similar points-per-game mark as 2014-15.  The 40 year old forward is clearly on the downswing of his career but still has the potential to be a second liner moving forward if he’s fully healthy.

David Schlemko was largely an unnoticed pick up for New Jersey last offseason but he wound up playing an important role for them, averaging 18:38 per game, good for fourth amongst Devils defensemen.  He also picked up a career high in points with 17 in 67 games.  Schlemko made just $625,000 last year but should be poised to receive a decent raise in free agency.

Other UFA’s: F Bobby Farnham, F Stephen Gionta, F Tyler Kennedy, F Tuomo Ruutu, F Jiri Tlusty, F Jordin Tootoo, D David Warsofsky

Cap Situation: The Devils find themselves with over $25MM in projected cap space, according to Cap Friendly.  They have 6-7 roster spots to fill but New Jersey is not typically a spend-to-the-max team so while they have a lot of cap space, their actual budget room is likely considerably lower.

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