New Jersey Devils: 3 Takeaways from Timo Meier Trade

It was a long time coming, but Timo Meier is finally a New Jersey Devils player. The San Jose Sharks got a lot in return for Meier and multiple other pieces, but the cost was nowhere near what was expected of the Devils.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun had New Jersey Devils fans in the mix all day long, starting just before 9 a.m. EST this morning, up to the official trade announcement by the team coming shortly after 9 p.m. The trade, as per the New Jersey Devils, officially reads as Timo Meier (50% retained), Timur Ibragimov, Scott Harrington, defenseman Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond and a 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick, defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotiuk, forwards Andreas Johnsson and Fabian Zetterlund, a conditional second-round pick in 2024, and a seventh-round pick in 2024.

Also per the Devils, the conditions on the 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick are:

1. San Jose receives New Jersey’s 2023 first-round pick; if the pick is a top-two selection, New Jersey will instead send their 2024 first-round pick.
2. San Jose receives the conditional 2024 Second-Round Pick if: New Jersey reaches the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals (and Meier plays in at least 50% of Meier’s Club’s Playoff games in 2023) or the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, New Jersey will transfer its own first-round pick in 2024 NHL Draft to San Jose (top 10 protected), instead of their second-round pick in 2024 NHL Draft. If New Jersey’s first-round pick in 2024 NHL Draft is a top 10 selection, New Jersey will have the option to instead transfer its own first-round pick in 2025 NHL Draft to San Jose. Should New Jersey transfer its first-round pick in 2024 NHL Draft per the original condition (top-two above in Condition A), New Jersey will instead transfer their own first-round pick in 2025 NHL Draft should they reach the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals.

Annnnnnnd breathe. Let’s take a look at three major takeaways from this trade.

1. The New Jersey Devils Kept Basically Everyone

Yes, you read all of that correctly. The Devils managed to finally get their big fish in the pond without giving up, and wait for it, Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Yegor Sharangovich, Alexander Holtz, Seamus Casey, Josh Filmon, Nolan Foote, Mackenzie Blackwood, Akira Schmid, Topias Vilen, Graeme Clarke, and Arseni Gritsyuk. Basically? The Devils held on to all of their meaningful prospects bar Shakir Mukhamadullin, who never really had a clear path to an NHL roster spot in New Jersey anyway.

Aside from getting Timo Meier himself, this is a massive win for the Devils. Tom Fitzgerald refused to make a deal that compromised New Jersey’s immediate and long-term future, and he could not have done a better job of that. Many of the players mentioned above will have the opportunity to nail down an NHL roster spot within the next year, as the Devils have many key players on expiring contracts.

If guys like Mercer, Nemec, L. Hughes, and Clarke continue to develop at their current and expected rates, the Devils will become a fearmongering hockey powerhouse for a long time.