Elliotte Friedman, Pierre Lebrun Report Timo Meier to New Jersey Devils is Done

The New Jersey Devils have been tied to Timo Meier for months. Honestly, they’ve been at least loosely tied to the Swiss superstar for years. We’ve all wanted Meier to play with his countryman Nico Hischier, but it felt like a pipe dream most of the time. Then, on Sunday, February 26th, Elliotte Friedman sent out the best tweet since he announced Nikita Gusev to New Jersey (although Pucks and Pitchforks own Dan Rice was the first to break that one). Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic said the same thing for good measure.

The Devils have been waiting for the big fish to land, and it appears it has with just five days from the NHL Trade Deadline, that big fish is traveling across the country.

Meier has been hurt, but we learned on Wednesday’s Let’s Go Devils Podcast that Meier would likely be playing if the games meant anything. Having him sit out for a few days while a trade was worked out only made sense.

We’re still waiting to see what the trade return would be. We hope Dawson Mercer is not involved. Dave Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that it’s unlikely Alexander Holtz is part of the return either. However, that still remains to be seen.

Lebrun reports that an extension is not in place. Meier is heading into the offseason as a restricted free agent. He has a $10 million qualifying offer, which he could sign and then walk to free agency in 2024. That’s why now was the right time for the San Jose Sharks to make this move. The money on that deal doesn’t make sense for a rebuilding team.

The Devils got their man, and it was the perfect fit for a team on the rise. Meier makes them legitimately one of the best teams in the NHL. Let’s all celebrate folks.