If you’ve found yourself asking the question, Where have you gone Patrik Elias? recently, you’re not alone.  I recall not too long ago when Elias was a rising NHL superstar.  A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Elias scored an astonishing 96 points in his fourth full season (00-01), third among league leaders.  He finished third overall in the scoring race in 2001 with 40 goals and 56 assists, only Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic topping him.  Even more impressive was Elias’ +/- total.  He co-won (with Joe Sakic) the Plus/Minus Award wth a remarkable +45.  It seemed as though the Devils finally found themselves a downright stud.

Over the next few years Elias continued to produce, scoring at least 29 goals for three consecutive years.  The 2003-2004 season, in particular, was a fine one for the Czech native.  At the ripe age of 27 he racked up 81 points, sixth best in the league.  This included 38 goals, which tied Martin St. Louis for fourth in the league.  Once again his +/- was an impressive +26. 

During the 2004-2005 lockout season, Elias opted to play in Russia where he contracted Hepatitis A.  He fought hard to come back from this setback and did a fine job, scoring eight points in his four games back en route to 45 in 38 games, including leading the team to the division win after being down by 19 points in the standings.  In just nine postseason games that season, Elias added 16 points, before the Devils’ untimely second-round elimination by the eventual Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes. 

A healthy Elias seemed to be the logical choice as the Devils next team captain once Hall-Of-Fame defenseman Scott Stevens retired, and he played the 2006-2007 season with the 'C' sewn on his sweater.  This brought him no luck, as he totaled just 21 goals and a plus one, his fewest goals in a full season in seven years.

Which brings us to this year.  Elias was stripped of his captaincy by rookie coach Brent Sutter, and seemed to have been stripped of a lot more than that.  Through 16 games, Elias had just two goals and five assists, with a disturbing -7 rating.  Not only was Patty not producing, but he’s hurting his team significantly.  Only Vitaly Vishnevski had hurt the team more at -9.  The only difference was that Vishnevski's contract stood at $1.4 million this year, whereas Elias was earning $7.5 million, money that all-stars and leaders earned. 

Elias seemed to playing without the intensity of Zach Parise and without the fire that blazed under Jay Pandolfo’s belly.  If only Elias can show the heart of some of his teammates, he may be able to revert back to his old form.  If that doesn’t happen soon, we may see our former captain pulling an Alexei Yashin and skating on the fourth line.  Let’s hope that Elias can wake up before its too late and lead his team out of the funk they’re currently sitting in, last place in the Atlantic Division at 6-8-2.

• ‹ previous
• 152 of 431
• next ›