So, are you sick of the Timo Meier chatter yet? Did you read this headline and think “oh jeez, another one?” Trust us, we get it. The New Jersey Devils are tied to Timo Meier. We’ve heard that line about 400,000 times since the clock turned to midnight on January 1st.
Here in lies the problem. We’ve talked too much. Now, both sides are being pushed into a corner that they can’t get out of. The San Jose Sharks cannot come out of a Meier deal with the Devils without getting either Dawson Mercer or Simon Nemec. The Devils could give them ten prospects, but if none of them come with the name Mercer or Nemec, no Sharks fan will care.
If the Devils add either of those pieces, Tom Fitzgerald will get crucified for losing a negotiation to a first-year GM. Fans will say he got cornered in a negotiation he was once in total control of.
All we’ve heard about for days now is how the Sharks are officially asking for Dawson Mercer in the trade. That’s everywhere you look. Now, the Devils have to decide whether they should give in and deal Mercer on the biggest heater of his life or pray the Carolina Hurricanes never go up on their offer.
Alexander Holtz, Yegor Sharangovich, and a first-round pick is not the ask anymore. If we’re really thinking about this, that’s probably not what Fitzgerald offered. He probably wanted to FINISH there, so he started with something considerably worse. It has worked out for Fitzgerald trades in the past.
This time, time was not on Fitzgerald’s side. The first NHL Trade Deadline where Tom Fitzgerald is a buyer puts a lot of pressure on the Devils front office. Meier is the prize on the market. Patrick Kane won’t be a feasible replacement. Brock Boeser would likely make more people mad than happy. Unless Fitzgerald knows about a star power forward that might be available, he’s stuck.
We’re less than a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline. Time is running out to a dilemma that we’ve been talking about for years. If it’s not Meier or bust now, then it never will be. The trade will likely happen. We’ll see if it involves the Devils.