devilsrule33 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) "Now it's time for Patty to show Lou the same loyalty he was shown. Do the right thing and sign on the dotted line, and don't pull this Niedermayer sh!t." When Elias returned to action in early January, he did not have an agent. He had fired both Todd Diamond and Mark Gandler sometime after signing his 1-year qualifying offer. As the season went on and still no agent to be heard of, this gave some hope that Elias wasn't looking to go shopping on July 1st but rather stay in NJ for a long time. After all, the Devils did have a player setting that precedent. With Elias firing his agent and not hiring a new one I have no worries that he will be returning to the Devils. A player doesn't go it alone when shopping himself to other teams, a player does go it alone when he is looking to save himself a % of his contract since he is happy with his current situation.We have no case where a player was one of Lou's guys, fired his agent, and then stayed with the team for a discount because he loved the organization. Oh wait, there is, Marty, a guy who could have made far more on the open market than he could for homself. Look at the personalities of Holik and Damon, those are me first, I want the spotlight kind of guys. Marty and Elias are team first, I want to be where I know I'm happy type of guys, they believe the best thing for them is to stay with the class organization Lou has set up. There has been no indication from Elias that he is leaving, or rumors from the rumor-mongers, while everyone thought there was good chances that Nieds, Holik, or Damon were leaving their clubs. You're making a mountain out of a molehill. Elias is only leaving if he wants to leave, and I have seen absolutely no indication that he wants to leave. If he stays, no one else will ever get to wear #26 and he breaks all the franchise scoring records. Again, the fact that he doesn't have an agent tells me he's not interested in leaving. As it turned out, Elias not having an agent had nothing to do with wanting to control the process or because of any loyalty to New Jersey. Unbeknownst then, Elias had fired his agents due to a laundry list of allegations including fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation, and malpractice --all of which he'd bring to court a year later in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. It is understandable that Elias would be very meticulous in his hiring process, that is to say if he felt he could even trust an agent again. But without knowledge, it seemed pretty good around these parts. A poll at the end of April showed 70% of voters thought Elias would definitely be back. But as the season was winding down, Elias made it known he'd be hiring an agent after realizing he was not "built for it." When the Hurricanes finished off the Devils in 5 games to end one wild season, it became abundantly clear that Elias was back having shown no signs of any health issues. He had a fantasic half season and playoff run that would garner a lot of interest from many teams if he was to hit the open market. With the season over, it shifted the focus straight to Elias and Lamoriello as both were finally ready to talk about the impending free agency. Lamoriello made it known how important Patrik was and that the Devils would everything they possibly could to sign him. Elias was giving the standard comments: "Like I've said many times, I've been here my whole career. I've been happy here. I've accomplished a lot of things. So we'll see where it's going to go." "If it's right, I want to stay, obviously. It's just that I'm in a situation that I can really take advantage of. We'll see. That doesn't mean that I'm going to use it to my advantage. This organization gave me a lot of good things, positive things in my life. I'm happy where I'm at and I owe something to this organization." "This is a good chance for me to see what my number is, what I'm worth and who the other teams are that might be interested in me. That doesn't mean that we'll get to that point, though." "Winning is No. 1. You don't want to be on a team that's going to go through rough times during the season and you don't really enjoy your work. This team always has a chance to win and that's a big thing." So far so good. Everyone was saying all the right things or so it seemed. With so little information, it wouldn't be right if NJDevs didn't analyze every word that came out of Elias' mouth in 10 separate threads. Only a born pessimest would take: "That doesn't mean I am going to take advantage of it or use it to my advantage. This organization gave me a lot of positive things in my life." as a negative. $20 says he stays. I agree with Don.....I don't see how this article is negative...plain and simple if the Devils, well...if Lou is willing to give Elias a fair deal...which he has more than earned...then he'll stay...we knew that from the get go...from every player...you can't expect one of the top forwards in the game and certainly the top forward in the free agent market this year to say..."I'm willing to stay here no matter what...they want to give me five bucks and a bag of pucks then I'm ok with that.".....I mean seriously...If Lou is smart he'll just give him the money he deserves (not exactly meaning the money someone else is willing to give him) and he will be with the Devils next year...period...if Elias doesn't sign it will be because of Lou and nothing else.... He's been with the organization his whole career...to be curious about what you are actually worth because of the job you do isn't negative at all....plain and simple Lou was willing to offer Nieds max money topping at 7 mil a year...I'm not saying Elias is worth that much because I don't think Nieds is either but Elias' figures should be up there...not only because of his skill but because of what he means to the team....again, if Lou doesn't lowball him and treats him fair (which he seems to do with a select few Devils) then Elias will be a Devil next year... this quote didn't make me happy. unless he's talking about detroit, i don't know what team doesn't have a rough patch during the season. was he unhappy when the devils had their slide in the middle of his return? i really cannot get any read on elias other than to say he will ABSOLUTELY not sign before he gets a chance to play the market. I cannot imagine that he would stay here for less, so the devils will have to match what toronto and the rangers will offer. i'm not so worried about him taking a huge contract from a st. louis or chicago, though. keeping patty looks like it's gonna cost 6.5-7 which lou just might not do. Considering what happened with Niedermayer last year, if he made a max contract offer to Elias before July 1st and Elias still wants to see what's out there, it means Patrik does not think NJ is in the best position to win. And therefore, he isn't going to stay, not matter what he says, unless the comparable offers he gets are from teams that he feels are no better positioned. So Lou should go out and try to execute Plan B, whatever it is, while Elias does whatever he damn well feels like doing. And if neither one of them finds anything better, they will still be there waiting for each other. But as time started ticking away with no news of a deal, opinions started to change, doubt crept in, and of course rumours of other teams and scenarios were a plenty. First there was talk from the Toronto media about Elias being the perfect wing for Mats Sundin. That was brushed aside faster than a fly trying to get on your food. Then rumours of teams like Montreal, LA and Chicago with lots of cap space going all out for Elias, but that didn't scare too many people. And why should it have? Thee Canadians were barely a playoff team, the Kings weren't one and the Hawks were worse, a cellar dweller. Elias SAID on record that winning was #1. That's what the New Jersey Devils have always offered and nobody would ever pick a payday over winning. But then news broke that Elias had hired his good friend's (Havlat) agent, Allan Walsh...and the rumours started of them playing together. Obviously, like with every big free agent for the past decade, the Rangers would be in the mix with their assortment of Elias' countrymen (Jagr, Straka, Rozsival, Malik and Prucha, and possibly Rucinsky and Sykora if they re-signed) to sweeten any deal. At the time, the question on the board being asked was if Elias could take one hockey player friend on a secluded desert island who would it be, Havlat or Sykora? But first we had to investigate if Sykora and Elias were still even friends. Why weren't we researching this stuff with Parise and Suter pre-July 1st? Reminds me more of the Selanne and Kariya debacle from a few years back. How long before someone starts photoshopping pictures of Havlat and Elias smooching?<JESTER> The confidence in Elias staying was disappearing quickly as MadDog2020 showed (The italicized part coming in early May). Patty is gonna stay guys- I honestly don't even pay any attention to all this sh!t. I never felt that way about Holik. I never felt that way about Nieds. I always thought thety'd both leave at the first opportunity, and the rumors always bugged me. Not this time. Patty is a loyal guy. Lou has been loyal to him, and I think Patty will return that loyalty. Pay the rumors no mind. Patty will remain a Devil- and captain the team into to the Newark era. - - - - I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little sick of our players always wanting to play with their best friend/family members. Don't get me wrong- if I was an athlete, I'd love to be able to play on the same team as my best friend or my brother. But the situation isn't right for Patty to play with Havlat, be it with us or Ottawa. Ottawa would be NUTS to give big dough to Patty and then signing Havlat to a long-term deal with their two best d-men getting ready to walk out the door. If I'm John Muckler, Chara and Redden and priotirty #'s 1 and 1A- everything else be damned. On our side, I don't have any desire to trade either Gio or Gomer for Havlat. Now part of me says maybe we SHOULD try and get something for Gomer while we can- and if it means keeping Elias, then it's something you have to at least think about. But on the other hand, I think it's on Patty to show a little loyalty to the organization that believed in him and still committed $4 million to him with his health a big question mark. Lou stuck by Patty when he was at his lowest point- now it's time for Patty to show Lou the same loyalty he was shown. C'mon Patty- you've got a great organization that respects you, fans that love you, and a chance to be the next captain. Do the right thing and sign on the dotted line, and don't pull this Niedermayer sh!t. it's tough to play the loyalty card. we jump all over guys when they suck - take a look at how langenbrunner's been treated on this board. on one hand we love him when he scores the big goals, on the other we trash him for the stupid penalties and missed oportunities. very few get a free ride from fans. as much as i hate it when players i like leave my team, i can never fault someone for going for more money. even if it's from a rival like the rangers. i hated holik for leaving and hated him for going to the rangers. but i don't blame him. frankly, patrik can have any reason he likes, should he chose to leave. none will soothe the wound should he go, but he's earned the right to go where he pleases for how ever much he can get. the devils won two cups and he played a major factor in both. he's been their best player not named brodeur, stevens, or neidermayer for the last five years. i'll be bitterly disappointed if he leaves, but i'll hold no ill will. At this point one thing was clear: Free agency was going to open with Elias right there for the taking. Just like Holik. Just like Niedermayer. And with confidence at an all-time low, it was about to drop another level. Patrik Elias was smart enough not to say anything to the North American media. But anything you say back at your mother country...well it's coming back here one way or another. This wasn't something Devils fans wanted to see less than 24 hours before the circus began. "If the Rangers have an interest in signing me, it would really please me because New York is a team with huge tradition. It would also mean there wouldn't be so many changes to my life. I would not have to move. But there will probably be more teams in the mix." Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiittttt. - - - - Next time...is Elias worth max money? Are the Devils better off without him? What's Plan B? And all the action from July 1st. How many more parts can I drag this out for? Who the fvck knows. Edited July 26, 2012 by devilsrule33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsfan118 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 "If the Rangers have an interest in signing me, it would really please me because New York is a team with huge tradition. It would also mean there wouldn't be so many changes to my life. I would not have to move. But there will probably be more teams in the mix." fvck everything about that quote, I still remember that. Ugh. Thank the Lord everything turned out alright in this case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Over-under on posts that essentially say "Sounds exactly like what that fvcker Parise said": 10.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 "Like I've said many times, I've been here my whole career. I've been happy here. I've accomplished a lot of things. So we'll see where it's going to go." Sounds exactly like what that fvcker Parise said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) All of what happened with Elias made me that much more puzzled why people were so negative about our chances to keep Zach. The two situations really were alike, with star player signing a one-year deal after major injury/illness and star player going to FA. Even after Elias stayed, there was still the exact same negativity with Parise - more really, people even wanting to trade him eighteen months before FA. Of course it turned out the doomsayers were right this time, though not for the reasons most people would have expected. So just as the Elias situation made me a little more confident Zach would stay, now the Zach situation is going to make me a little less confident in the next guy staying (Zajac). I think the only point I really got worried about Elias staying was when we re-signed Jamie and Elias was still on the market. I figured we wouldn't have enough room under the cap for both. We didn't really but then after re-signing Elias the Malakhov + 1st trade for dead air happened later. At this point one thing was clear: Free agency was going to open with Elias right there for the taking. Just like Holik. Just like Niedermayer. And with confidence at an all-time low, it was about to drop another level. Patrik Elias was smart enough not to say anything to the North American media. But anything you say back at your mother country...well it's coming back here one way or another. This wasn't something Devils fans wanted to see less than 24 hours before the circus began. "If the Rangers have an interest in signing me, it would really please me because New York is a team with huge tradition. It would also mean there wouldn't be so many changes to my life. I would not have to move. But there will probably be more teams in the mix." Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiittttt. I didn't remember that quote existed, to be honest. I knew there was interest in Elias with the Rangers, mainly because of the Czech factor (as well as location) but probably underestimated just how much interest there was from Elias's side. Then again I wasn't around the board day in and day out during that time. Edited July 26, 2012 by NJDevs4978 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Sounds exactly like what that fvcker Parise said. I set 'em up, you knock 'em down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) Retrospect Bonus Quotes While going through the archives I found that, not 1, but 2 members of NJDevs wrote of incidents where Patrik Elias almost got run over, thus potentially ending any chance the Devils or anybody else signing Patty. Patrick Elias: notorious jaywalker. I was driving to Montclair to have dinner with one of my friends and someone she used to work with who might actually have...wait for it...a job for me. We'll get to that later. I was late because Bloomfield Avenue was closed somewhere in Verona and I had to turn around, take a detour and get back on Bloomfield past the part that was closed. Then I went into Montclair. I was switching lanes in traffic when this skinny guy in longish bike shorts, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap who looked really familiar walked right in front of my car. I guess he didn't expect me to switch lanes where he was planning to go. I stopped short to avoid plowing into him with the car and realized it was Elias. He was holding what looked to be takeout. Man, does he need to put on some weight. Anyway, I managed to avoid killing or crippling him. The dinner went well, it looks like I will actually get an interview for a position that exists. And I didn't run over Elias. Not a bad evening. as a related side note, this might have all been moot as earlier today, my wife nearly hit patty with her car when she was leaving fresh city in livingston while he was walking to his car on his cell phone. she says he wasn't paying attention, but she is after all a woman driver! Edited July 27, 2012 by devilsrule33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin226 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Over-under on posts that essentially say "Sounds exactly like what that fvcker Parise said": 10.5 Thank god there isn't an NHL team in the Czech Republic!! He'd be chillin with Jagr faster than you can say "matching deals" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Pride 26 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Hahaha those almost hitting Elias stories are pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.