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Timo Meier

Devils To Begin Contract Talks With Timo Meier This Week

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When the Devils picked up winger Timo Meier from San Jose prior to the trade deadline, GM Tom Fitzgerald noted that they didn’t want to get into extension talks right away, instead preferring him to get fully integrated with the team.  However, Fitzgerald told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger that those discussions will now begin this week.

Back in 2019, the 26-year-old signed a four-year, $24MM deal that was heavily backloaded.  Doing so gave the Sharks some cap flexibility while on the back end, it set up a $10MM qualifying offer.  That sparked some similar contracts being signed around the league and eventually, a change to the rules when the CBA was extended back in 2020 was made to eliminate the ballooning qualifying offer.  Now, instead of the qualifier being set at what the salary in the preceding season was, it’s the lower of that number or 120% of the AAV of the previous contract.

However, that rule change only applied to contracts signed after that stretch.  As a result, Meier is still subject to the old rule, meaning that New Jersey will have to tender him a $10MM qualifying offer later this month if they can’t agree on a new contract by then.

Meier notched a career-high 40 goals this season between the Sharks and Devils although he was a bit quieter than expected in the playoffs, scoring just twice in 11 contests.  He has yet to reach the point-per-game mark in his career but he came close to doing so back in 2021-22.  Accordingly, while Meier is an accomplished scorer, it’s fair to question if he’s worth a $10MM contract for next season.

The Devils do have one way to bring that amount down, although it comes with some risk.  If they opt for club-elected arbitration, they can come in with an offer that’s 85% of the required tender, or $8.5MM.  However, in return, Meier could simply go through the hearing, play for whatever is awarded, and then head straight to unrestricted free agency in 2024.  That’s certainly not the outcome Fitzgerald would want after moving a first-round pick and another recent first-rounder (Shakir Mukhamadullin) plus a conditional pick that could become a first as part of the return to get Meier.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising to see Fitzgerald planning to engage Meier’s agent Claude Lemieux in discussions now with the hopes of getting something done before the calendar flips to July and the qualifying offer comes into play.  That contract, if finalized, is likely to come in lower than the $10MM qualifier but not necessarily by much, especially with the expectation that the salary cap will start to go up quicker starting in 2024.

Fitzgerald made it clear to Zeisberger that his goal is getting the winger locked up on a long-term agreement; we’ll find out over the next few weeks if he’s able to succeed on that front.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier

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New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has achieved a crucial step in a long rebuilding process: a return to relevancy and a promising postseason showing. Now, he has to keep them there.

Considering the Devils have 13 expiring contracts on their NHL roster (not including injured goalie Jonathan Bernier), this offseason isn’t just about staying the course for Fitzgerald and the Devils. The signings he makes this summer will largely dictate what the team’s future holds as their spending, and eventually, the salary cap, increases.

There are no priority items this offseason larger for Fitzgerald than the team’s most coveted restricted free agents: Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. Speaking to reporters, including The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, at the Devils’ locker clean-out day yesterday, Fitzgerald offered updates on the status of Bratt’s and Meier’s pending extensions.

In regards to Bratt, Fitzgerald gave an expansive answer:

We paused the (extension) talks prior to the playoffs, which I think was the right thing to do. There was there’s definitely progression. For sure. There’s definitely a framework of a deal to be done long term if Jesper wants that. Jesper knows exactly what that framework looks like. I know Jesper wants to be a Devil long-term and so do we. He had a tremendous year. Nobody doubted he wouldn’t. He’s part of the fabric here, part of the core. We want to get this done. I don’t anticipate contentious negotiation. I think his agent knows where we’re at. So we’ll probably put the ball back in his court and we’ll touch base here soon. I haven’t yet. Like I said earlier, this Game 5 loss is still fresh.”

Coming off back-to-back 70-point seasons, contract talks surrounding the 24-year-old Bratt are much more positive than this time last season. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights for the second straight summer, eventually signing a one-year, $5.45MM deal in August 2022 after an arbitration filing.

His next cap hit is likely to come in well north of that and could easily hover near the $8MM mark on a long-term deal, which both Fitzgerald and Bratt allude to as a possibility. Regardless of the final cap hit, it doesn’t appear the Devils and Bratt are likely to hit many snags in the road on their way toward an extension.

The vibes are different around a potential commitment for Meier, who wasn’t as effective as the team hoped after acquiring him late in the season from the San Jose Sharks. The intrigue is still there – it’s not often you have a free agent with three 30-goal seasons under his belt still under team control. But the 26-year-old will undoubtedly be looking for a hefty commitment, especially after posting near point-per-game numbers over the past two seasons on a struggling Sharks squad.

Fitzgerald said contract talks with Meier haven’t begun in earnest yet but plans to touch base with Meier’s agent, Claude Lemieux, about an extension after the team wraps up its pre-draft scouting meetings this week.

New Jersey will likely prioritize getting the framework for an extension finalized with Meier as soon as possible. If it comes to a worst-case scenario, Meier is due a qualifying offer of $10MM on a one-year contract, which would both dig into New Jersey’s cap space next season and walk him right to unrestricted free agency in 2024.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Gronborg, Oligny, Meier

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It’s not often you see a team that has won back-to-back league titles change their coach, but this decision was made long ago for Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. Back in October it was reported that Rikard Gronborg would not be returning to the ZSC Lions after this season, already agreeing to a multi-year contract with Tampere.

Gronborg was introduced today, taking over just a week after the club took home the 2023 title. Interestingly enough, when the commitment was initially reported, it included the note that Gronborg’s contract contains an out clause should the NHL come calling. For years, the decorated international coach has been linked to vacant NHL positions without anything ever materializing.

  • Jimmy Oligny is your Yanick Dupré Memorial Award winner for 2022-23, named AHL Man of the Year. The award is given to a minor league player for outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. Among his many involvements, the Manitoba Moose captain worked with the Kinship and Foster Family Network to host a foster family at every Moose home game.
  • Timo Meier was “okay” today, according to New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, as the forward continues to recover from a massive hit suffered last round. Mike Morreale of NHL.com relays that Meier is still day-to-day and that the team will know more tomorrow. Without Meier in game one of their second-round series, the Devils were dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes and will have to try to even things up tomorrow night.

Timo Meier Will Not Play In Game One

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New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier will not play in game one against the Carolina Hurricanes. The news was tweeted out by NHL.com writer Tom Gulitti just moments ago. Meier did not dress for the warm-up and will be replaced in the lineup by one of Jesper Boqvist or Curtis Lazar.

Meier famously took a high hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in game seven of their first round series. He stayed down after the hit and needed medical attention from the Devils staff before he was able to skate off the ice under his own power. Meier later returned for the end of the game and had a cordial exchange with Trouba in the handshake line.

Meier was acquired by the Devils at the NHL trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks and took some time to adjust to the new team and system. He produced a respectable 14 points in 21 games with New Jersey to finish out the regular season but failed to produce a single point in the seven-game series with the Rangers.

The Devils haven’t made much information available on Meier’s condition and had original deemed him to be a game time decision earlier today. With Meier now scratched for game one it will be interesting to see what more is revealed prior to game two on Friday.

East Injury Notes: Meier, Kane, Drury

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The New Jersey Devils are entering Game 1 on the road tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes with the status of their main trade deadline acquisition uncertain. Winger Timo Meier is a game-time decision after taking a hard hit from New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the team’s Game 7 win on Monday, per head coach Lindy Ruff.

Meier hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations yet, especially with no points in the team’s series victory over New York. He did have nine goals in 21 games for New Jersey down the stretch, however, and has shown to be a valuable offensive weapon in playoffs past with San Jose. If he’s unable to play, one of Curtis Lazar or Jesper Boqvist will draw into the New Jersey lineup.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Now-pending UFA winger Patrick Kane told reporters at the Rangers’ end-of-season availability today that he was never 100 percent healthy after the trade to New York, but praised the team’s training staff for trying to get him there. Kane did not rule out off-season surgery for the lower-body injury that plagued him the entire 2022-23 season. Kane recorded one goal in seven playoff games for the Rangers and posted a career-low 57 points in the regular season (in a full season).
  • Carolina Hurricanes winger Jack Drury is expected to return from an upper-body injury tonight when they host New Jersey to start their second-round series. Drury, 23, has slotted into Carolina’s top six with injuries to multiple key wingers. He’ll look to register his first point of the playoffs tonight, expected to flank Jordan Staal and Martin Necas on the team’s second line.

Snapshots: Trade Condition Updates, Andersson, Tkachev

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The regular season is nearing its end and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are just around the corner. It is the most exciting time of year to be a hockey fan. While it is a quiet period in the hockey calendar for trades, there have been a handful of updates on trade conditions from previous deals that have been made. First of all, capfriendly.com confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks will be receiving the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. This was part of the Brandon Hagel trade from a year ago. The condition on the deal was that it was a top-ten protected pick, but with the Lightning qualifying for the playoffs, the pick will be outside the top 16 and therefore transferred to the Blackhawks.

The San Jose Sharks will also officially receive the New Jersey Devils first-round pick in 2023 according to capfriendly.com. This was a part of the Timo Meier deal that saw a total of 13 pieces involved. One component was a conditional first-round pick that would top-two protected. Essentially, the Devils would have needed to completely fall apart in the second half, win the draft lottery and end up with a top-two pick in order to keep it. They of course did not, and will host a first round series next week, so their first-round pick will go to the Sharks.

The Arizona Coyotes will receive yet another second-round pick as well. Again, capfriendly.com points out that conditions in the Jakob Chychrun trade dictated the 2024 second-round pick that was included as part of the deal would move up to a first-round pick if the Ottawa Senators made it to the Eastern Conference final this season. The Senators did not make the playoffs, so their second-round pick goes to the Coyotes who now have ten second round picks in the next three drafts.

  • Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press reports Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson does not require surgery in the offseason, but has been dealing with pain since a scooter accident in Detroit on February 8. The 26-year-old was riding a scooter to dinner that night when he was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk. He went to hospital for observation but was released and he missed three games before returning to the lineup on February 16. He quickly returned to his role as a top-pairing defenseman, but did struggle down the stretch, scoring just one point in his final ten games.
  • Agent Shumi Babaev tweeted that his client, Vladimir Tkachev is not happy with Avangard Omsk’s latest offer to return to the KHL, so he will look to return to the NHL next season instead. Tkachev played his Junior hockey in the QMHL with the Moncton Wildcats and Quebec Remparts and played the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Kings and Ontario Reign of the AHL. He played four NHL games, scoring two points and had 29 points in 41 AHL games that season. He returned to the KHL for the 2022-23 season and scored 23 goals and 59 points in 64 games, leading Omsk and finishing second overall in the KHL. The 27-year-old is a skilled winger and will now look to sign with an NHL team this summer.

San Jose Sharks Assign Shakir Mukhamadullin To AHL

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The San Jose Sharks welcomed Shakir Mukhamadullin to North America today. The 6’4” 195-pound defensemen arrived in San Jose this morning after travelling from Russia. He was acquired by the Sharks in last month’s Timo Meier trade with the New Jersey Devils. San Jose quickly assigned Mukhamadullin to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL where it appears he will finish the season after just completing his fourth year with Salavat Yulayev-Ufa of the KHL.

It is not yet known when the 2020 first round pick will suit up for his first game, but early indications are that he could play as early as this weekend against the Texas Stars. Should he not be ready to play by the end of the week, he will likely dress against Colorado next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Salavat was just eliminated from the playoffs in the KHL conference quarterfinals, now the young defenseman will have an opportunity to make a playoff push with the Barracuda as they have just 12 games left in the regular season. The Barracuda will certainly welcome the addition as they are without their top defenseman Derrick Pouliot who has been playing with the Sharks recently.

Contractually, Mukhamadullin was loaned (by New Jersey) to Salavat Yulayev Ufa at the start of the season, meaning that he will play out the string under the first year of his entry-level deal. He was also on loan to Salavat last season but did not burn the first year of his contract, despite dressing in three playoff games for the Utica Comets.

West Notes: Coyotes, Oilers, Barbashev

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It has been a long rebuilding process for the Coyotes as they’ve stripped their team down while adding many prospects and draft picks.  Speaking with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Bill Armstrong indicated that they’re nearing the halfway point of their rebuild.  Arizona has 47 draft picks over the next four drafts, 17 of which are in the first two rounds so there is definitely going to be a significant influx of young talent into the organization in the coming years.  However, it appears at least a couple more years of being around the basement of the conference are on the horizon as it will take some time for their young talent to develop.

More from the West:

  • The Oilers made a legitimate pitch to acquire winger Timo Meier before the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts While it would be hard to see how Meier and his $10MM qualifying offer would fit into Edmonton’s salary structure, Friedman suggests their intention was simply to figure out the cap implications over the summer.  Had it happened, there’s a strong possibility that Meier would have been back on the market this summer with Edmonton effectively treating him as a rental player.  Meier, of course, ultimately went to New Jersey and has a goal in three games so far with his new team.
  • While his acquisition largely flew under the radar with more prominent names being moved, forward Ivan Barbashev might wind up being the best deadline acquisition, posits SinBinVegas’ Jason Pothier. The Golden Knights parted with 2021 first-round pick Zach Dean to pick up the 27-year-old pending UFA and Barbashev has fit in quite well, notching five points in six games with his new team.  More importantly, he has shown some early chemistry on the top line in the place of injured captain Mark Stone and if he’s able to hold down that spot on the depth chart, he should certainly be at least one of the most impactful pickups from the trade deadline activity.

Edmonton Oilers Reportedly Made Offer For Timo Meier

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The Edmonton Oilers did make a splash at the Trade Deadline, acquiring defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a hefty package that included Tyson Barrie and a first-round draft pick. However, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in today’s edition of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, the team was also more seriously involved in discussions for another big-name target than previously thought.

That player is Timo Meier, who had been mainly linked to the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes during trade rumor season. Friedman reports that the Oilers made a “legit offer” to the Sharks in exchange for the star forward’s services and didn’t just engage in preliminary discussions.

He also noted that a possible plan on the Oilers’ radar was to acquire Meier for the stretch run and playoffs and boost his stock by playing him alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, giving Edmonton the potential to flip Meier at the 2023 NHL Draft for more than they originally paid. Meier, a pending restricted free agent, is due a qualifying offer of $10MM, something Edmonton wouldn’t have been able to accommodate with just $8.5MM in projected cap space for next season and multiple players to re-sign, per CapFriendly.

It was a strategy multiple other teams in talks with the Sharks considered, Friedman said, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were also rumored to be in the Meier sweepstakes at times.

While Edmonton’s depth scoring could remain their Achilles’ heel in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they arguably made better use of their limited financial resources by acquiring Ekholm. Edmonton’s 3.31 goals against per game is the second-worst number among teams currently in playoff position, coming in just a hair under a divisional rival – the Los Angeles Kings. While Meier may have created the highest-octane top-six forward group in decades, Ekholm filled a need and carried financial certainty, something the Oilers desperately needed.

Metropolitan Notes: Meier, Lazar, Flyers

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A week after learning he’d officially be joining the team, New Jersey Devils fans should finally get to see Timo Meier in action today when the team takes on the Arizona Coyotes. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today, including NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, that “as long as he’s feeling good, [Meier] should be ready to go.”

Meier had been day-to-day with an upper-body injury at the time of the trade and had not played since February 18. According to Devils senior producer Sam Kasan’s report of the team’s line rushes during yesterday’s practice, Meier is expected to line up at left wing alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, forming a potentially terrorizing two-way scoring unit.

More notes from the Metro Division this morning:

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