The New Jersey Devils announced they extended winger Timo Meier Wednesday morning. New Jersey and Meier agreed on an eight-year extension with an annual average value of of $8.8 million.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald has been a busy man, trading for Tyler Toffoli and extending Jesper Bratt. After not landing big fish wingers in Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk last summer, Fitzgerald has stocked the pantry full.
The Statistics
Timo Meier is the perfect player for the Devils. He brings the necessary edge and toughness that was lacking from the lineup. More importantly, he is an adequate power forward but also follows it up with his production.
Meier is an extremely effective top-line winger with a nose for the front of the net. In addition, he creates offensive chances and has excellent finishing ability. Landing the big fish from the San Jose Sharks was a smooth move, and now he is a Devil for the next eight years.
Throughout his career, Timo Meier has hit the 30-goal plateau on three occasions. Furthermore, his best season came in 2021-22 where he posted 35 goals, 41 assists, and 76 points. In the split time between the Sharks and Devils this past season, Meier had 40 goals and 66 points. His physical edge was noticeable as well, as he finished the year with 154 hits.
Playoff Impacts
The struggles may have been there from a production standpoint in the postseason this last year, but Meier made his impact on the game. Arguably, Meier was the team’s best player on the ice. Here is where he ranked in specific categories for the club:
- Corsi-For Percentage (CF%): 55.52 (third)
- Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 57.19 (sixth)
- High-Danger Corsi For-Percentage (HDCF%): 61.18 (sixth)
The reason his tangible production wasn’t up to where his impacts were can be chalked up to the play of Igor Shesterkin. He’s going to be a playoff force for years to come.
The Contract
There is more to the contract than just the eight years and the $8.8 million salary. In years two through five, Meier has a no-movement clause. Once he reaches years six through eight, it becomes a 15-team no-trade and no-movement clause. It is a front-loaded contract which has been Fitzgerald’s style recently. This all according to CapFriendly.
As the above graphic shows, the Devils appear they did very well in this deal. The contract carries a surplus value of $1.4 million and is projected to age very well. Especially as the salary cap continues to rise.
Salary Cap Situation
Currently, according to CapFriendly, the Devils have $10,207,500 in remaining salary cap space. Restricted free agents like Ryan Graves, Tomas Tatar, and Miles Wood are expected to play elsewhere, but the the team do have some restricted free agents (RFA) to worry about.
The main RFAs New Jersey still have are Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, Jesper Boqvist, and Kevin Bahl. Given their statuses and roles on the team each can be brought back at a team-friendly price. However, the team can just as easily move on as each of their roles are replaceable – to different extents – one way or another.
The big splashes are more than likely done as Fitzgerald has made his mark. However, minor complementary moves will be made to shore up the roster. It is an excellent time for the organization and the fan base.