Devils land big fish Timo Meier from Sharks
Anthony Scultore
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The New Jersey Devils were considered the leading candidate to acquire Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks and on Sunday they did.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to break the trade news. In addition, no extension is in place at this time.
UPDATE: Trade Finalized
Devils receive forwards Timo Meier (50% salary retained), Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington, Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond and a 2023 fifth-round pick
Sharks receive forwards Andreas Johnsson, Fabian Zetterlund, defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin, Nikita Okhotiuk, a top-2 protected first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second round-pick in 2024, and a seventh-round pick in 2024.
Devils trade for Timo Meier
Meier, 26, will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July. He’s believed to be seeking an extension with an AAV in the neighborhood of $9 million.
Several teams were recently attached to acquiring the forward including the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues, and the Vegas Golden Knights, who were believed to be aggressive in their pursuit.
In the end, the Devils were considered the favorites in January when GM Tom Fitzgerald told Pierre LeBrun that he was looking for a top-six winger. He also added the caveat that they wanted it to be a controlled asset that was young enough to fit in their current team model.
On TSN’s Insider Trading, LeBrun took it a step further and identified Meier as the player fitting that description.
“Obviously, he wouldn’t say names. You can’t do that, that would be tampering. But let me be the person that reads between the lines and says that Timo Meier would fit exactly what the Devils are looking for,” LeBrun said. “I think Meier fits that description and the Devils will certainly investigate that possibility.”
Meier has 31 goals and 52 points on the season in 57 games. He’s due a $10 million qualifying offer this summer.
