The New Jersey Devils look like a team on a mission at midseason, and right now, the road to the Stanley Cup goes through Newark. We’ll see if that remains the case come April, but if it does, it means the likes of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton, to name a few, have been playing consistent hockey game in and game out.
But, one player needs to put forth more production and join those ranks. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Timo Meier, who, despite putting up solid production, is still somewhat underperforming in my book.
And if you want further proof, just look at his numbers. Through 38 games, Meier has 27 points, 13 goals, and a plus-11. He’s still physical among top-six players, and there’s always that inkling he can get ultra-hot at any time.
Meier has even shown signs of this recently, having put up five points and three goals over his previous five contests, with back-to-back games going for multiple points. But could you imagine what this team would look like if Meier picked up his game a couple of notches?
New Jersey Devils would be the league’s toughest team with a hot Timo Meier
So far, Meier is on pace to snag between 57 and 58 points, with roughly 25 of them going into the net for goals. The latter number is fine, but we know Meier can get more than that. He’s been more of a scorer than a playmaker throughout his time in Newark, and his 11.2 shooting percentage shows us he’s capable of more after he converted 13.5 for goals last year.
When Meier first came to Newark in 2022-23, he was in the middle of what would become a 40-goal season (31 of which he scored as a member of the San Jose Sharks). So, if Meier picked up the pace to hit 40 again this season, it would force opponents all over the league to play catch up with the Devils, assuming the productivity of everyone else remained equal.
Yeah, the Devils are a scary team, even with Meier playing a solid but average game. But they would be a team to avoid at all costs should Meier look like the player he was a few years back when the Devils traded for him.
That said, something tells me that if Meier puts more pucks into the net or if he logs a few more assists, you’re going to see even more successful play among everyone he lines up alongside.