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PRAGUE — Patrik Elias believes the time is now for the New Jersey Devils to establish themselves as annual Stanley Cup Playoff contenders.

They have a great opportunity to begin that quest in Elias’ native country and before a rabid fan base when they play the Buffalo Sabres to kick off the NHL regular season at O2 Arena on Friday (1 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, MSG-B, SN) and Saturday (10 a.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, MSG-B, SN) in the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal.

“Boy, was I hoping the Devils would one day play an NHL game here,” Elias told NHL.com during Devils practice at O2 Arena on Thursday. “We’ve had a few of the NHL global games here and it’s awesome. I know Czech fans are great. We truly have one of the best fan bases in the world for hockey and for any kind of sport.

“It’s just awesome for me to see the Devils here. I’m proud of it and want them to showcase the players, the game itself. We’re anticipating two exciting games, exciting hockey, and this is great for these kids and for everyone watching it live this weekend.”

It’s been a busy week for Elias, who was an honorary guest at the home of the United States Ambassador to Czechia, Bijan Sabet, on Wednesday. He was there for a seminar to help promote tourism in New Jersey, the city of Newark and Czechia.

“I didn’t expect it to be that formal because it was my first time at the Ambassador’s house,” Elias said. “It was great to promote Newark and New Jersey while these games are happening. I think it’s important, too. I spoke from my heart because I’m proud that I can call New Jersey my second home. It gets a bad reputation, but people don’t realize how good of a place it is to raise a family.”

Elias became a naturalized United States citizen in 2018. He grew up in Trebic and relocated to Prague when he was 15 years old before moving to the U.S. to begin his professional hockey career in North America when he was 19. In addition to helping the Devils, he also is a consultant for Slavia Prague and a coordinator for the team and staff.

“I love Prague; it’s very easy to get around the city and the history is amazing,” he said. “I love the architecture. I enjoy the people. It’s not too crowded. The food is great, beer is great. What’s not to love?”

The 48-year-old, the first European-born captain (2006-07) in Devils history and first forward to have his number retired (No. 26) by New Jersey, is also very passionate about his former team. He’s been closely following it all offseason and hoping to witness an improvement over its seventh-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.

“They looked into what they needed to fix and that was goaltending and size on the back end,” Elias said. “I think we all know how talented we are up front, but at the same time, the discipline is the biggest question. I wish we could see the biggest improvement in that. Players have been telling me how detail-orientated coach Sheldon Keefe is, so hopefully that’s going to be the biggest change for these guys because they need to have a system in play where everything is done for a reason.

“I’m not saying they didn’t do that before but, five years ago, when the young guys entered the League, I remember the one thing being said was, ‘Let’s develop them, let’s give them time, let’s be patient.’ I think it’s time.”

© Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images

Elias would know. He holds Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts records in goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), power-play goals (113), power-play points (333), short-handed points (33), game-winning goals (80) and overtime goals (16) in 1,240 regular-season games. In 162 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has the most goals (45), assists (80), points (125), power-play goals (21) and power-play points (52) in franchise history, winning the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003.

“Accountability was big on our Stanley Cup teams,” Elias said. “The guys need to have that frame of mind. The bottom guys usually have that, but you need the top dogs to have that and that’s been a little bit of a setback to me. I don’t want to be critical, but we need the big guys to play with discipline, and not only discipline itself, but the hockey discipline, the system discipline, and finally realize what it takes to win as a team.”

Elias is happy to see several veteran players on the roster, including a few acquired in the offseason such as goalie Jacob Markstrom, defensemen Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce, and forwards Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen.

Elias said Ondrej Palat, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021) who signed a five-year contract with New Jersey on July 14, 2022, is another great voice in the locker room.

“He was a big part of the World Championship Czech team that won gold in May, and I feel if any of the new guys need advice on the Devils, Ondrej’s the guy to go to,” Elias said. “He’s a winning type. He does everything at 100 percent … practices, games, and you can count on him. Obviously, he’s a fan favorite here. They know ‘Pali’ is a tremendous player, but he’s also a tremendous person.

“Many of the kids watching the practices here at O2 are hockey players and that’s great to see because they get to experience the best players in the world from the best league, up close and personal.”