TRADE: Timo Meier now a Devil for a bunch of prospects

[Brewin Flames]

Devils secure star forward Timo Meier in trade with Sharks

 

5:16 PM ET

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  Emily KaplanESPN

The New Jersey Devils acquired star forward Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night in a complicated deal that includes a mix of players, prospects and draft picks going both ways.

Meier will be a restricted free agent with a $10 million qualifying offer this offseason. The trade to New Jersey does not include a contract extension, as the Devils plan to use Meier in the short term and then explore the possibility of a long-term deal later on.

Along with Meier, the Devils added left wing Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond as well as a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Sharks received New Jersey's first-round pick in this year's draft, which is conditional; defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotiuk; forwards Andreas Johnsson and Fabian Zetterlund; and second- and seventh-round selections in next year's draft, though the former is also conditional. And San Jose will also retain 50% of Meier's current salary as part of the deal.

 

 

Mukhamadullin, 21, was one of New Jersey's three first-round picks in the 2020 draft, joining Dawson Mercer, who is a regular at the NHL level for the Devils, and Alexander Holtz, who is regarded as the team's best offensive prospect.

Mukhamadullin, at 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds, has starred in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, and the plan -- before the deal -- was for him to join the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate in Utica, New York, when the KHL season wrapped up.

"We really like the player," Grier said of Mukhamadullin during an online media availability. "You don't find many 6-4 [defensemen] who are mobile, and who can defend, but also add some offense. We just think there's tons and tons of upside in this kid. He's just starting to figure out what he is as a player."

 

Meier has 31 goals and 52 points on a rebuilding club that was playing out the string. He was held out of San Jose's practice by coach David Quinn on Feb. 19 because of an upper body injury and has not played since.

"Everyone around here is aware of what Timo can bring to the table," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said during an online media availability.

The Devils, who have made the playoffs just once since 2012 and underwent a major rebuild in recent years, are a year ahead of schedule, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told ESPN last month. With 83 points in 59 games, the Devils entered Sunday in second place in the Metropolitan Division, trailing the Carolina Hurricanes.

 

"We're going to score goals, as you guys know," Fitzgerald said. "I just want the player to feel comfortable, that he understands the system, that he has time to learn it. And then once he feels comfortable -- and knows our system like the back of his hand -- he's just going to play hockey."

 

According to sources, the Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights were the finalists in the talks for Meier. Those teams were not given permission to speak with Meier's agent, Claude Lemieux, about a potential extension, a source told ESPN.

 

Acquiring a rental player is against Fitzgerald's typical philosophy of building his teams over the summer, but with the option of agreeing to Meier's qualifying offer, the Devils have control of his status through next season, and during that time, they might be able to secure a long-term deal.

 

Meier was one of the biggest names available ahead of the March 3 trade deadline because of his age (26) and that aforementioned team control San Jose could sell to potential suitors.

"Everyone is talking to San Jose about Timo Meier," one rival Eastern Conference front office executive said during the All-Star break. "Everyone is monitoring it."

 

The All-Star forward was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft. In seven seasons with the Sharks, he topped 20 goals five times and 30 goals three times.

 

A native of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Meier provides a mix of size and speed; his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame is often found in front of the net, but he also has the ability to pick corners from the faceoff dots and can be a high-end partner to an elite puck-moving center.

 

In New Jersey, Meier will join two former teammates from Team Switzerland in the 2022 World Championships: captain Nico Hischier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

Grier is clearly looking toward the future but was steadfast all season in his notion that a Meier deal could wait until the offseason if the right in-season package didn't materialize.

"This is something that kind of pushes our group forward," he said.

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Brewin Flames

[Brewin Flames]

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Devils acquire Timo Meier in blockbuster trade with Sharks

Associated PressFeb 26, 2023, 11:54 PM EST

 

 

 

 

The 26-year-old Swiss winger has 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season. Meier did not fit in with San Jose’s long-term plans.

“There’s realities at play here with the salary cap and the salary structure of our group,” Sharks GM Mike Grier said. “To pay him the money he’s looking for and wanted, it didn’t seem to make sense and to line up where were are kind of headed as a franchise and where we’re at. We don’t want to keep spinning our wheels here. We’re going to try and move this thing forward.”

The opposite is going on in New Jersey, with a team perhaps a half-step ahead of schedule to make the playoffs. The Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division, and Meier is joining a young core that includes countryman and captain Nico Hischier.

“Having this new chapter coming my way, it’s definitely very exciting,” Meier said. “I’m just very excited to get this started.”

The Devils are just getting started on their climb in the East. With some cap space left before the deadline Friday, this was undoubtedly their biggest move but might not be their last.

“We’ve been gearing for this for a long time,” Fitzgerald said, referencing New Jersey’s multiyear rebuild. “We have a lot of work to do. This is just part of trying to build success.”

[pilldoc]

The New Jersey Devils have acquired Timo Meier, Scott Harrington, Timur Ibragimov, Santeri Hatakka,  Zachary Emond, and a 2024 fifth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 conditional first-round pick, a 2024 seventh-round pick, Fabian Zetterlund, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nikita Okhotiuk, and Andreas Johnsson.

 

Meier joins Bratt, Hughes, and Hischier.

 

Devils have come back from the dead from a few years ago ....Rangers / Devils seem poised to battle for the division for the next decade. ......

 

Great move for the Devils ....... (sigh ......wish I could say this about the Flyers)

[J0e Th0rnton]

So Shakir Mukhamadullin, who was drafted 1st round 2 years ago 20th overall, Zetterlund, who is looking like a steal and could have been drafted 1st round and 2 more first round picks? That's actually a great return for Meier. Meier's RFA qualifying offer is 10 million dollars. That was going to hurt.

 

Sharks are going nowhere for a few years so this is a terrific return considering

[Buffalo Rick]

Thanks a lot San Jose for making Devils even tougher 

[OccamsRazor]

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

And they locked him up long term....

 

Devils secure Timo Meier long-term with 8-year, $70.4M deal

The New Jersey Devils have signed forward Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

 

Meier landed with New Jersey in a blockbuster trade in February between the Devils and San Jose Sharks. San Jose shipped Meier -- in the final season of a four-year, $24 million contract -- to New Jersey while retaining 50% of his cap hit, and received a package of four players and three draft choices in return.

 

It was a potentially risky move by New Jersey at the time given Meier was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1, carrying a $10 million qualifying offer. The Devils believed they'd have a shot at inking Meier to a long-term contract, and were able to make that happen.

 

Meier, 26, had spent the entirety of his career with the Sharks since San Jose drafted him ninth overall in 2015, and had reached the 30-goal mark three times with them. The transition into New Jersey's system took time, and Meier finished the regular season with nine goals and 14 points in 21 games. He added another two goals and four points in 11 postseason games, before the Devils were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in their Eastern Conference second-round series.

 

Now, Meier should be a significant factor in New Jersey's lineup for years. Last season New Jersey finished with a franchise-best 112 points and made the playoffs for only the second time in over a decade. The Devils' renaissance will continue to be led by Meier, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and other key young players.

 

Earlier this month, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald signed forward Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $63 million extension, defenseman Erik Haula to a three-year deal, traded pending UFA Damon Severson to Columbus for a 2023 third-round draft choice and on Tuesday acquired forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Calgary Flames while also trading the rights to pending RFA Mackenzie Blackwood to San Jose.

 

New Jersey has about $10 million in cap space to wield as well, per CapFriendly.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Hopefully Timo has found his steady game, as he seemed somewhat up n down with the Sharks.

Tremendous talent with power and skill and a hint of a mean streak.
He, Toffoli, Haula, and Palat should help anchor down a still-young Devils core that has Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt.

Will their defense and goaltending be up to snuff?
I don't know, but if Meier is locked in, Devils should be very good up front!

Edited June 28, 2023 by TropicalFruitGirl26