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Ranking the Rankings: Did ESPN Get New Jersey Devils Top 100 Rankings Right?

By Nick Villano

Apr 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Akira Schmid (40) celebrates with center Jack Hughes (86) and center Nico Hischier (13) after defeating the New York Rangers in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Akira Schmid (40) celebrates with center Jack Hughes (86) and center Nico Hischier (13) after defeating the New York Rangers in game four of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Timo Meier, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils right wing Timo Meier (96): Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

Timo Meier
ESPN Ranking: 58
Too High, Too Low, Just Right?: Too High

Timo Meier is a really good player, and the Devils are lucky to have him on the roster. However, there are a ton of great players on this team, and he deserves probably a slightly lower ranking. He is getting a lot of publicity for his 40+ goal season and his close-to-$9 million per season contract. Quinn Hughes, Brent Burns, and Elias Lindholm are below Meier, and one could argue they should all be ahead of him.

Maybe this is recency bias since Meier had possibly the worst start on the team, but even if Meier stays a top-75 player, the Devils will be fine. He’s still just 27 years old (his birthday was earlier this month). His contract is good for eight more years. He can grow with this Devils team.

Meier is coming off his two best scoring seasons, putting up 40 and 35 goals, respectively. He’s started off the season with 0 goals through four games. It’s early, so it’s not the end of the world that Meier is struggling. He had the quintessential assist on Jack Hughes’ overtime goal on Friday. If he can continue to impact the game outside of scoring, the goals will come eventually.

Still, we could see Meier get closer to 70, especially considering where Bratt ended up on this list.

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