If you can wait a month or more, why not wait? It obviously does not bode well that it is taking so long to leaf out but give it TLC and see what happens. Provide appropriate moisture but do not overdo it so it develops root rot. And later in Spring when all nearby plants begin to leaf out, use weak fertilizers only like liquid fish or liquid seaweed. At that same time, you can prune dead wood by scraping the stems with a finger to see if they are dead or not.

vossner, did you cut the plant back at all. If not please go ahead and give it a haircut all over this should take some of the pressure off the stressed plant and may help it recover. Also if you can find a source of b12 plant booster Not the correct name but you could find it at a good nursery, It is to help transplanting shock and forming of new roots. Other than that follow Louis' advise. Hope this might help and good luck
James in Florida

I think luis pr is wrong to advise you to add a weak fertilizer to a plant in a severely distressed condition. You do not want to fertilize such a sick plant with any type of fertilizer--weak or strong--until a recovery is well underway. Giving it fertilizer right now will just be another nail in its coffin. I would forget this moribund plant and replace ir a new, vigorous one. You're wasting your time fretting over it.

Clarification: I suggested waiting until Spring and applying a weak fertilizer if the plant leafs out. Do not apply a fertilizer now. But as I also said, it does not bode well that the shrub is taking so long to recover... If it recovers, you got yourself a free plant.

Listen to luis! He KNOWS what he is talking about.

Excuse me, but I don't think any horticultural authority will recommend adding fertilizer to a woody ornamental that is in the early stages of recovery--spring, or otherwise. You will burn that plant up with fertilizer. It needs to gain a toe-hold on life before being stimulated with fertilizer. And by the way, spring is here in this part of the universe.