New Jersey Devils left wing Patrik Elias, who has been out with a right knee injury since the preseason, will travel with the Devils on a three-game road trip against Western Conference opponents next week, coach John Hynes told NorthJersey.com on Friday.
"Right now, we're planning on him coming on the trip and trying to get him back into some team practices," Hynes said. "Not sure exactly when that's going to be, but it looks like there's been some good progression here. Nothing is imminent, but the next step for him is now getting into an everyday routine at some point, whether he's going to be practicing with the team. He's been in all the meetings and things like that, but just the normalcy of being in the locker room, being around the guys and doing those things, that's another step in guy's rehab when they've been out for as long as he has."
Elias, 39, has yet to practice with the Devils this season, but has been skating on his own. The Devils play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday before traveling to face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers on Friday and Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.