Patrik Elias Almost Signed with the Rangers in 2006

[Blue Heaven]

Sather didn’t want to give him a NTC…..now they give out NTCs like it’s candy. 

[Sharpshooter]

Oops.

[Drew a Penalty]

[Phil]

I know he said no-trade, but the hiccup was a no-move. Brooks wrote about this extensively years back. I'm actually a little surprised by how few people remember this whole thing. They were on the goal line. It was going to be Elias-Nylander-Jagr, but Sather wouldn't give him a no-move, so he went back.

The craziest thing about it all is how much it would have altered the following year (Drury, Gomez). Chances are only one, if either, would have been signed. Dominoes upon dominoes.

[josh]

This would have been the season after the Rangers went to the finals.

[Phil]

3 minutes ago, josh said:

This would have been the season after the Rangers went to the finals.

No, that was a separate contract. The one they were fourth and inches on was the one in 2006 to play with Jagr.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/22534109/nhl-patrik-elias-new-jersey-devils-number-retirement-line-nearly-joining-new-york-rangers-more

[josh]

I remember, I thought it was more recent.

Regardless, I didn't want him. Or Naslund, or Marleau. lol

[RichieNextel305]

I remember this story very well. He torched us in the playoffs and I remember no more than a few days after that series ended, speculation ran rampant about the Rangers needing another big scoring threat to run alongside Jagr. It made tons of sense. The cap space, the Czech posse, it just seemed like it was going to happen. We had a need for him, and he didn’t seem to mind ditching the Devils for a hop along the Hudson because the Rangers had proven they were on the rise and Elias wanted to win.

I remember when it seemed done; the pre-Twitter days. There were reports out about it and whatnot and then Lou scooped him up with the no-trade and that was that. He stuck there, we filled that secondary void with Shanahan. It worked well for him. He is one of the most beloved Devils in history and he had a great career there. As much as he torched us, I never hated Elias. Very respectable player. As much as I would have loved stealing him from New Jersey, worked well for him.

[siddious]

Yea he was a hell of a player but if thats true^ I rather have had Shanahan anyway. 

[Sharpshooter]

Even though he was older, Shanahan was still quite good here anyway. Although, the thought of Elias and Jagr together had me drooling.

[Albatrosss]

51 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I remember this story very well. He torched us in the playoffs and I remember no more than a few days after that series ended, speculation ran rampant about the Rangers needing another big scoring threat to run alongside Jagr. It made tons of sense. The cap space, the Czech posse, it just seemed like it was going to happen. We had a need for him, and he didn’t seem to mind ditching the Devils for a hop along the Hudson because the Rangers had proven they were on the rise and Elias wanted to win.

I remember when it seemed done; the pre-Twitter days. There were reports out about it and whatnot and then Lou scooped him up with the no-trade and that was that. He stuck there, we filled that secondary void with Shanahan. It worked well for him. He is one of the most beloved Devils in history and he had a great career there. As much as he torched us, I never hated Elias. Very respectable player. As much as I would have loved stealing him from New Jersey, worked well for him.

yeah i remember.  e3 right?

[Albatrosss]

5 minutes ago, Sharpshooter said:

Even though he was older, Shanahan was still quite good here anyway. Although, the thought of Elias and Jagr together had me drooling.

too bad Shanny was at the twilight and couldnt skate all that great anymore

[Sharpshooter]

Yeah. I liked him here a lot, though, and he was a nice fit overall.

[siddious]

3 minutes ago, CCCP said:

too bad Shanny was at the twilight and couldnt skate all that great anymore

Yea if i remember correctly he was here for 2 seasons? First one he was great, second he just looked done. 

[Sharpshooter]

1 minute ago, siddious said:

Yea if i remember correctly he was here for 2 seasons? First one he was great, second he just looked done. 

Correct.

[siddious]

Just now, Sharpshooter said:

Correct.

Only Rangers jersey I have ever bought in my life (although to be fair if I had a re-do I'd have just gotten Hank)

[Albatrosss]

i remember Shanny kicking the door open when he walking in the Local after the playoff loss that year.  Half the rangers team was hanging out all happy and drunk but Shanny was pissed as hell.  

[RichieNextel305]

I’d say he looked good the first season and a half. By the mid-point of 2007-2008, he couldn’t move very well at all. He still had his shot which made him an asset.

He was brilliant in his first season here. If not for that scary collision with Knuble in February which cost him a month of action, he very likely would have hit 40 goals in his first season.

Elias would have been a fine Ranger too. That guy always upped his play in big spots. It’s amazing how that would have changed the course of things here. If we sign Elias, it’s very likely that we don’t dip our toes into the water the way we did with the Gomez/Drury bonanza the next offseason. If no Gomez, then no McDonagh. And no cap space open to sign Gaborik; which means no Gaborik trade for Brassard; which means no Brassard for Zibanejad trade.

Odd how things all can tie together.

[Sharpshooter]

9 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I’d say he looked good the first season and a half. By the mid-point of 2007-2008, he couldn’t move very well at all. He still had his shot which made him an asset.

He was brilliant in his first season here. If not for that scary collision with Knuble in February which cost him a month of action, he very likely would have hit 40 goals in his first season.

Elias would have been a fine Ranger too. That guy always upped his play in big spots. It’s amazing how that would have changed the course of things here. If we sign Elias, it’s very likely that we don’t dip our toes into the water the way we did with the Gomez/Drury bonanza the next offseason. If no Gomez, then no McDonagh. And no cap space open to sign Gaborik; which means no Gaborik trade for Brassard; which means no Brassard for Zibanejad trade.

Odd how things all can tie together.

When you lay that all out like that, it's really interesting. Maybe it was a good thing it didn't happen. lol It's fun to look back though with a butterfly effect kind of analysis.

[Pete]

23 minutes ago, siddious said:

Yea if i remember correctly he was here for 2 seasons? First one he was great, second he just looked done. 

Second half of season one he was done, too. He came out hot both years and then was useless after Christmas. Except when he beat Brashear's ass.

[siddious]

6 minutes ago, Pete said:

Second half of season one he was done, too. He came out hot both years and then was useless after Christmas. Except when he beat Brashear's ass.

Too bad we didnt get him earlier in his career.

[Sharpshooter]

Just now, siddious said:

Too bad we didnt get him earlier in his career.

The same thing for Martin St. Louis too. lol

[RichieNextel305]

There were rumors forever about the Rangers and Shanahan. A bunch in the mid-90s before he went to Detroit.
 

I remember when he signed here, some random dude on a message board was the one who broke it. Again, pre-Twitter and everything. But someone said they saw like a “Welcome Brendan Shanahan!” message on the MSG billboard.

[Morphinity 2.0]

I always knew they were talking, but I didn't know they were this close. Seems crazy in retrospect to see an NMC hold up a deal like this. Meanwhile a guy like Barclay Goodrow can get a 15 team NTC for his entire deal. 

[Phil]

32 minutes ago, Morphinity said:

I always knew they were talking, but I didn't know they were this close. Seems crazy in retrospect to see an NMC hold up a deal like this. Meanwhile a guy like Barclay Goodrow can get a 15 team NTC for his entire deal. 

Sather was way harder on players about this sort of thing depending on who they were. He literally traded Callahan because of one.