Timo Meier has not been nearly what the Devils thought they were getting when they signed him to an eight-year deal worth just under $9 million per season. At the time, it looked like great work by then-New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald. Meier was coming off a 40-goal season split between the Devils and San Jose Sharks. He was a goal scorer with size and grit, which is exactly what the 2022-23 Devils needed. It hurt to pay him more than Jack Hughes, especially after Jesper Bratt took less, but getting him signed for eight years was the priority.
Since then, Meier has not nearly lived up to his contract. His goal scoring has dropped in each season with the Devils, hitting a nadir of 24 goals last season. The March Meier phenomenon went from a fun social media conversation to a frustrating reality. If you remove March from Meier’s numbers, he would look like a pedestrian player all around.
The Devils have tried all kinds of things to get Meier going. Last year, Sheldon Keefe really tried to make the Meier line with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer work, giving them more minutes together than any other line on the team at 5v5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
A mixture of bad finishing and bad luck (they had 15 xGF and 11 xGA despite scoring just 14 goals and having 20 goals against) left the Meier line in the red. The frustration with the former trade star had grown beyond what any Devils fan thought possible.
Luke Evangelista could be the key to getting Timo Meier back to 30 goals or more
Now, there’s a new top trade piece in town. Sunny Mehta made his most significant trade of his tenure. He sent a first- and second-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Luke Evangelista.
While on paper, a 56-point, 24-year-old forward isn’t going to turn around the likes of Meier when so many others have tried, Evangelista has had a knack for turning goal scorers around. Specifically, he did wonders for Steven Stamkos.
Stamkos was famously behind the eight ball to start the year last season, but he had an epic second-half surge. Together, their line scored 22 times in 347 minutes while only seeing 11 goals against. Stamkos without Evangelista was on the ice for 23 goals in 744 minutes and 38 goals against.
Can Evangelista do the same for Meier? They have a similar makeup, and Evangelista has the skill set to bring out the best in his wingers. Meier needs something to make the second half of his contract worthwhile.
He still brings a ton to this offense even if his counting numbers aren’t higher. He is bringing toughness to the lineup, even if he doesn’t get credit for that as much. Still, the Devils need goal-scoring for Meier to be worth that contract. Evangelista can help him get there.
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