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07-17-2002, 11:33 AM
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - All-Star left wing Patrik Elias signed a three-year contract with the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
As a restricted free agent, Elias, 26, could have fielded offers from other teams, but the Devils had the right to match any deal.
Elias was the team's leading scorer last season with 61 points. He was the Devils' second pick, 51st overall, in the 1994 draft.
Terms of the contract were not immediately available.
"I feel great," Elias said from Trebic, Czech Republic, where he makes his offseason home. "We didn't anticipate this to happen that fast. The Devils showed they appreciate what I did in the past and they wanted me for the future."
As a restricted free agent, Elias, 26, could have fielded offers from other teams, but the Devils had the right to match any deal.
Elias was the team's leading scorer last season with 61 points. He was the Devils' second pick, 51st overall, in the 1994 draft.
Terms of the contract were not immediately available.
"I feel great," Elias said from Trebic, Czech Republic, where he makes his offseason home. "We didn't anticipate this to happen that fast. The Devils showed they appreciate what I did in the past and they wanted me for the future."