The New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks.
We have a blockbuster.
After weeks of speculation, the big fish on the trade market has found a new home, as the New Jersey Devils have acquired forward Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks, along with forward Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft in exchange for a first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second-round pick in 2024, a seventh-round pick in 2024, forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Andreas Johnsson, and defensemen Nikita Okhotiuk and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
As per the terms of the deal, San Jose will retain 50 percent of Meier's salary.
The conditions on the picks are as follows:
- The 2023 first-round pick is protected and will transfer to New Jersey's 2024 first-round pick if it's a top-two selection.
- The conditional 2024 second-round pick: If New Jersey reaches this season's Eastern Conference final and Meier plays at least half of his team's playoff games, or if New Jersey reaches the 2024 Eastern Conference final, the Devils will instead transfer its own 2024 first-round pick in the 2024 draft to San Jose. However, if that pick is a top-10 selection, New Jersey has the option to send its 2025 first-round pick instead.
- If New Jersey's 2023 first-round pick is a top-two selection – which is unlikely considering the Devils will likely make the playoffs this season – and the Devils send a 2024 first-rounder instead, then the conditional second-round pick would turn into a 2025 first-rounder if the Devils reach the 2024 Eastern Conference final.
Well, now we know why that trade took so long to finalize.
The centerpiece of the deal is obviously Meier, a legitimate star and perennial 30-to-40-goal winger with elite offensive instincts who also happens to be responsible on the defensive side of the puck. The 26-year-old is having a typically productive season in 2022-23 thus far, racking up 31 goals and 21 assists for 52 points in 57 games for the Sharks while logging nearly 20 minutes in average nightly ice time.
An RFA at the end of the season, Meier will command a massive qualifying offer of $10 million, with the Devils being one of the few teams with the cap space to accommodate him. There is believed to be no extension in place at the time of the trade, according to The Athletic/TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Going the other way is, frankly, a somewhat underwhelming package of assets. The 2023 first-round pick is a nice get given how deep the upcoming draft is, but the Devils have their sights set on contention, making it likely that the pick will fall to the bottom of the round. Mukhamadullin is the top prospect heading the Sharks' way, as the former 20th overall pick in 2020 sits with six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 67 games with KHL Ufa.
Given Meier's talent, age, and extra year of team control, the price for his services was thought to be higher. But now the Devils have added a bonafide star forward to their already-dazzling roster, re-setting the power balance in the Eastern Conference once again.