The New Jersey Devils added Timo Meier to their roster on Monday, via a trade with the San Jose Sharks that involved 13 players and picks. A 26 year old pending RFA, Meier was the the prized target of the trade deadline and his addition to the Devils roster is clearly a boon for their playoff aspirations this season. When we scratch below the surface, however, it’s clear Meier’s addition fits well within a longer term vision.
Timo Meier
Meier has maintained a strong, consistent projected impact this season. He’s comfortably in top line territory for 5v5 impact, with an offensive impact well above average and a defensive impact that is also better than average. He has a knack for putting the puck in the net and sits in the top 25% of NHL forwards for 5v5 G/60.
The Team: New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have stormed back onto the scene this season. They sit second in the Metropolitan Division and look poised to make their first playoff appearance since the 2017-2018 season. Their roster is generally well rounded and the addition of Meier gives them some added firepower as they look ahead to the postseason.
Obviously, the addition of Meier for a playoff push this season is a worthwhile endeavor. Yet the details around the deal that shed light on a longer term plan are what make it shine for the Devils.
First, the acquisition cost. Was it steep? Yes. Did the Devils give up any of their prime prospects? No. Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec and Alexander Holtz are all still with the Devils. The prospects they gave up were good, but not their best. While they gave up a 1st and 2nd round pick, the Devils overall draft success probability for the next three years remains near the baseline (owning all their own picks), so they haven’t depleted their draft capital to an extreme extent. The potential to add to their prospect pipeline remains in reasonable condition.
Turning our attention to the Devils NHL roster in future seasons, we can see from the profile below that they have primarily players in their prime years signed to long term contracts and only about half of their NHL roster under contract next season. They also have less than 60% of their cap space committed next season, leaving plenty of flexibility to round out the roster.
The Devils have built a strong forward group and, looking at the long term projection for the group, we can see they are poised to remain strong for the foreseeable future. Jack Hughes anchors the group and is signed long term at a team friendly cap hit. Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat are also signed through the 26/27 season. All three are projected to have top line impacts throughout their current deals.
To round out the top 6, the Devils have Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt and newly acquired Timo Meier. Mercer is signed through the 23/24 season, and at just 21 years old, we’re likely to see his impact grow significantly from the already top line impact expected next season. Bratt and Meier are both pending RFAs with strong top line impacts. With the cap flexibility we saw above, the Devils should have every opportunity to sign both through their prime seasons. If they can, they’ll have a top six forward group that all have top line projected impact for the next 4+ seasons.
It’s easy to look at the Devils acquisition of Meier as a deadline rental that helps their chances of going on a deep playoff run this season. When we look deeper into the state of the Devils’ roster, though, it’s the details that illustrate the long term potential for the team that really make the deal shine for the Devils.
