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Much like Martin Brodeur in the latter years of his career, there isn’t much that left wing Patrik Elias hasn’t done over the years he’s played in the NHL. His milestone achievement of reaching 1000 points this season was the latest of countless accomplishments he’s made throughout his professional career. He’s had multiple 70-80+ point seasons, won two Stanley Cups out of four trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, became the Devils’ all-time points, goals, and assists leader, and represented his native Czech Republic four times in the Olympics.

There’s no doubt in my mind his No. 26 will one day hang from the Prudential Center rafters, and like Brodeur, Elias is more than entitled to have a say on how he wants to spend what is probably his final NHL season. The certainty of his future wouldn’t be contestable if it weren’t for the installment of new general manager Ray Shero, and how the term “rebuild” was thrown around by ownership after they recently addressed the media. The Devils’ rebuild is primarily determinant on the grossly overdue structural reformatting of the offense. Part of solving this complex puzzle entails the future handling of the team’s longtime veterans still under contract, and where they stand in the organization’s plans moving forward.

Patrik Elias is a prime example.

Considering everything he’s accomplished throughout his remarkable career, I can see him content with either sanctioning a trade if it means getting a shot at winning a final Stanley Cup, or standing pat and finish with the only team he’s played for. Like his Czech counterpart Jaromir Jagr however, Elias is most effective when he’s utilized in a top-six role (without being as vocal about it), wherever he may wind up. The trade route is always worth exploring, but even if the Devils and Elias decide to go that direction, it’s not like teams will be lining up to inquire about his services (although there will certainly be takers), which along with other contractual constraints, will limit the 39-year old’s options.

Since Lamoriello handed out movement clauses like free candy (which Elias’ contract includes), Elias would have ultimate control over deciding his fate. Aside from going to a playoff-caliber organization, the best fit for Elias would be a team whose core possesses established star-caliber forward talent, able to haul the majority of the offense’s weight, but needs to shore up on their top-six depth. In this situation, Elias would fit nicely in a supportive complimentary role. Despite his age and having exhibited wear and tear the past few seasons, one of Elias’ most attractive yet overlooked qualities is his broad degree of compatibility to gel with different player types as line mates. His playmaking abilities are unquestioned, and although he’s very prone to overpassing, his shots are always timely and create subsequent opportunities for rebounds or at least, an offensive zone draw.

The 34 points he attained in 69 games this past season (.49 PPG) were his lowest totals since his 2002-2003 season, when he had 57 points in 81 games (.70 PPG). Aside from age, injuries have undoubtedly factored in Elias’ production over the past two years (missed 30 games past two seasons), but the primary source behind his underachieving is the quality of the players around him. It’s no big secret the Devils haven’t had the most appealing cast of forwards since their 2012 playoff run. Individual players naturally perform better when they’re inserted in a deeper lineup, but with Elias this is especially true. Three of his most productive seasons (99-00- 72 points, 00-01- 96 points, 03-04- 81 points) obviously came during New Jersey’s better years. More recently, Elias posted 78 points in 08-09, and matched that output in 11-12. Aside from the Devils passing the playoff marker with flying colors those years, Elias was part of a much offensively deeper cast of players on those teams in comparison to the Devils teams of the past three seasons.

It’s also worth noting how Elias continued to have productive seasons like the ones above at different stages of his career.

It’s unrealistic to expect Elias to put up those kinds of numbers moving forward, but the bottom line is despite his formidable yet uncharacteristic output the past three seasons, he’s still capable of producing at a top-six forward pace. Add in the said components to his game like his playmaking abilities, the wealth of experience he’s endured over his 17-year career and it more than justifies Elias’ trade value…should this route be taken.

Having considered factors like trade appeal and contractual clauses, there’s the type of deal it would take to execute an Elias trade. Despite having one year left, not many teams will be willing to take on a 39-year old with a $5 million cap hit, especially if it’s an established playoff contender, many of which are already at or near the cap ceiling. The Devils could receive salary back in return, which could mean acquiring a resourceful asset capable of helping the team now. While it’s more than likely the return for Elias will be no more than a modest package of prospects and/or picks, if the right deal is made (and I cannot stress that part enough), could we see Elias involved in a trade that brings a top-tier forward back the other way? It’s not completely out of the question, especially if whoever the Devils get in return has a hefty cap hit. Shipping Elias out could at least partially counteract the large cap hit of a player coming the other way, while giving the other team someone of value (Elias) as part of the deal. This option is far less likely to happen (although not inconceivable to think about), especially since there are few (if any) playoff-caliber teams trying to move their high-priced assets.

It would be nice to see Elias finish his career out with one team, and I’m sure the consensus of the Devils faithful wouldn’t mind if that were the case. He would, at the very least, serve as a plug to round out the top-six, and would be an ideal role model for any incoming youth to look up to. With veterans like Michael Ryder, Martin Havlat, and Scott Gomez slated to become unrestricted free agents, along with the uncertainty surrounding Ryane Clowe’s future and the severe depreciation that occurred in Dainius Zubrus’ play this season, it wouldn’t necessarily worsen matters to at least start the season with Elias. Nonetheless, he’ll be utilized whether he plays the upcoming season with the Devils or puts on a different uniform for a team that hopefully gets him one more well-deserved championship.