Latest On Timo Meier

The Timo Meier trade saga seems to be finally reaching a conclusion. While no trade is believed to be imminent, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the San Jose Sharks “are down to two teams” in Meier trade talks: The New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights.

LeBrun does note that the situation remains fluid, meaning nothing is final until trade calls have been made to the league and the paperwork has been filed, but it does seem as though those two teams are the final two in the mix for Meier, and that the Carolina Hurricanes have been eliminated from consideration.

These reports should not come as a major surprise, as yesterday we covered reports that the Devils were leading the pack in the chase for Meier. But today’s news that the Hurricanes are out of the running for Meier does come as a major development.

The Hurricanes have been active in the chase of a scoring winger ever since Max Pacioretty was lost for the season with another Achilles injury, and Meier was viewed as one of their top targets not only for his skills but also due to how well his age fits in with the Hurricanes’ other star players.

Now, they’ll likely have to look elsewhere to find scoring help, which could mean inquiring on the availability of other scoring wingers such as Brock Boeser, James van Riemsdyk, or even a reunion with last year’s trade deadline add: Max Domi.

In addition to seeking scoring help, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Hurricanes have made calls in recent days looking to acquire a left-shot defenseman as well, presumably to find an upgrade for their third pairing.

For Vegas and New Jersey, this development is an important step forward in their chase of Meier. They now reportedly have just each other to compete with in making trade offers for Meier, meaning each is within striking distance of acquiring the talented Swiss power forward.

New Jersey has the advantage over Vegas in terms of prospects it can offer, as the team has the NHL’s second-ranked prospect system according to the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, while Vegas ranks 23rd. (subscription link)

Assuming top-end pieces such as Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec are off the table, the Devils have 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz to offer, as well as other talented youngsters such as 2022 second-rounder Seamus Casey, 2020 first-rounder Shakir Mukhamadullin, top AHL scorer Graeme Clarke, or other first-rounders such as Nolan Foote and Chase Stillman.

For Vegas, the best prospects they have to offer to San Jose, beyond just the draft picks presumed to be present in both teams’ trade offers, are first-round picks Brendan Brisson and Zach Dean, or breakout AHLers Pavel Dorofeyev and Lukas Cormier. That’s a quartet of talented players to headline a system, but not quite the wealth of options New Jersey can boast.

Worth noting is the fact that Vegas not only shares a division with San Jose, they also are one of the team’s fiercest rivals. While it’s definitely reasonable to expect some fans to accept a Meier-to-Vegas trade if taking Vegas’ offer is in the best interests of the Sharks, it’s also easy to see a significant portion of the fanbase in uproar should the team’s most talented forward be handed over to such a hated rival.

One wonders, then, if the Sharks will require a higher standard of offer from the Golden Knights in order to be willing to trade him in-division, and how much higher that expectation might be.

It’s a difficult situation for each involved team to be in, as there are risks to any course of action when such high-end pieces move teams. But for all three teams in the mix for Meier, these next few days offer significant opportunity, and a chance for each franchise to take a significant step towards achieving its goals.

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