New Jersey Devils Can Bolster Offense with Timo Meier & Ivan Barbashev

As the NHL Trade Deadline looms closer, the sands of time are the best indicator of fringe Wild Card teams who could become sellers. On the one hand, the New Jersey Devils have time being utilized by Tom Fitzgerald the GM who is looking to leverage a deal with the San Jose Sharks for Timo Meier. Another couple of recurring trade targets mentioned are Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev.

The Devils have the assets to land Timo Meier who can play that power forward and goal-scorer game on the top line. A potential package would be Alexander Holtz (2020 7th overall pick), 2023 1st Round pick, Kevin Bahl (acquired via the Taylor Hall trade), and Reilly Walsh (2017 3rd-round pick). On 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman said Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes are untouchable pieces part of New Jersey’s future, despite what the folks on ESPN might say. The Devils will need to have a guy that steps in on the right side of the Devils blueline filling in for Damon Severson and Ryan Graves when they become free agents this offseason.

Reilly Walsh the Massachusetts native has been looking to crack a spot at the NHL level, but he’s a similar breed to Damon Severson who can play offensively and activate the breakout. He will get pucks to the net. Kevin Bahl is still raw and is learning to play the puck possession game. He’s going to be showtime ready to play with a much younger team where he can learn to become a superior defensive presence.

Bahl could be the poor man Zdeno Chara playing 3rd and 2nd line minutes. The Devils don’t mind relinquishing their late first-round pick because they have a plethora of picks and prospects in the pipeline. Fitzgerald and Paul Castron have been very good at getting players in the early, mid to late rounds of the NHL Draft, so they know how to keep the team rolling.

Timo Meier would immediately impact the offensive game, defensive, and transition game because his game is about being the most efficient and most dynamic player out on the ice. Having Meier on a line with Jack Hughes will make it a lot harder for opponents to not only cover on defense but will reconsider how they approach them covering their own zone on defense. Just one nice poke check by Jack Hughes to Timo Meier and vice versa can create that breakaway opportunity that helps the Devils win a game outright than just by one goal.

For some reason, if the Devils don’t get Meier, it has been mentioned that the St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong is asking for at least a 2nd-round pick for Ivan Barbashev. Barbashev has 110 hits and 25 blocks per Hockey Reference and has 10 goals and 28 points. We’ve created a stat that looks at a combination of two-way play called Sasquatch Score (Hits+Blocked Shots+Points= Stat). Barbashev would get 163 “Sasq Score Points.” Timo Meier would have a 187 because of his 52 points, 111 hits, and 24 blocked shots.

Honestly, it’ll be much harder to get Pavel Buchnevich if GM Tom Fitzgerald does land Timo Meier from San Jose because the asking price for Buchnevich could be similar despite being a lesser player. Fitzgerald doesn’t want to risk too many assets near and long term for the sake of one push at the NHL Trade Deadline. There is a level of discipline on asset management and some other low-risk high reward moves. This will help the Devils push for a dog fight likely against the rival New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If the NJ Devils do not acquire Timo Meier, then it’s likely the Devils and Blues can possibly conduct business. To be fair, landing Ivan Barbashev looks far more realistic if the New Jersey Devils seek value and could possibly replace Miles Wood near term.