The New Jersey Devils had a season that no one expected out of them. They finished second in the Metropolitan Division and made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. During the season, they felt they needed to add another big piece. They traded with the San Jose Sharks and acquired Timo Meier to help bolster the offense. Now that the dust has settled from their second round exit, the Devils’ front office can now focus on the offseason and the decisions they need to make.
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When they traded for Meier, he did not come with a contract extension. He is a restricted free agent (RFA) with a qualifying offer of $10 million for one season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA). The Devils also have a player by the name of Jesper Bratt. He is coming off of a one-year deal worth $5.45 million. He is also going to be an RFA this summer. While the Devils have over $34 million in cap space, they cannot afford to sign both of these players to long-term, big-money deals. They are going to have to choose between the guy they traded assets for at the trade deadline or the player that has been with the organization since day one.
While it seems like a no-brainer for the Devils to sign both players to long-term deals because they have so much cap space, they still need to prioritize their cap space going forward. Their captain, Nico Hischier, is signed for four more years and will be a UFA in 2027-28. They also have UFAs this summer in Erik Haula, Tomas Tatar, and Ryan Graves who have all made great impacts on this young Devils team and if they want to keep them, it’s going to cost them. You do not want to have money tied up in Bratt and Meier when some of that could be used to address the depth of the team or the goaltending issues this team still has. The Devils need to decide who they would rather keep.
Reasons To Keep Meier
Meier had decent numbers in the regular season when he arrived in New Jersey. He scored nine goals and had 14 points in 21 games after the trade. While those numbers are okay, it’s the playoff numbers that stick out like a sore thumb. He scored only two goals and had four points in 11 games. Now, these numbers might just indicate that he needs more time in the Devils’ system in order to feel more comfortable, so giving him that time could be a positive. Meier was also shuffled around the lineup a good amount by head coach Lindy Ruff. He was moved from the first line to the third line quite often in the playoffs so he never had a chance to get comfortable with any of his linemates. So if they sign him and put him on a line and keep him there for a long stretch of time, he could see his numbers jump a significant amount.
Meier is one of the top power forwards in the league and that is something the Devils are lacking. They have so many players that play with speed and skill, but he is a player that will do the dirty work and go to the net and cause chaos for the opposing team. We saw how effective he was against the New York Rangers in Round 1. Even though he wasn’t providing offense, he was still a tough player to play against. Having him around also means that he can throw his weight around and protect the other top players on the team. If someone goes after Jack Hughes, Meier will be there to back him up. The only other player the Devils have that plays that kind of style is Miles Wood and he is going to be a UFA and it’s unclear if the Devils will keep him. Meier is the perfect combination of skill and grit the roster is lacking.
Reasons To Keep Bratt
Bratt has been a Devil since the day he was drafted and has had back-to-back 73-point seasons. Last summer, he took a one-year deal to prove his 2021-22 season wasn’t a one-time occurrence. He has proven that he is an elite player in the NHL and is now going to be looking for a long-term deal. One reason to keep Bratt over Meier is because of familiarity. Bratt has only gotten better as time has gone on and he knows how the Devils play. He has thrived in this system because of his speed and chemistry with his teammates. Devils’ management knows what they are getting with Bratt and because of that, they could choose to sign him over Meier.
Bratt would also likely cost less to sign than Meier. Meier has a qualifying offer of $10 million for one season so if the Devils can’t work out a deal, they could sign him to that offer and try to work it out over the course of the season. With Bratt, his qualifying offer is only $5.45 million and he is more likely to cost less than the $8 million they are paying Hughes. If the Devils can sign Bratt to a long-term deal, which he seems interested in signing, in the $7.5 to $8 million range, it would be a steal of a deal. Meier would likely cost more than Hughes and it is uncertain if they would want to pay him more than their superstar center.
A Tough Decision Ahead
The Devils have a very talented team and are going to be competitive for years to come. They have most of the pieces in place to be a championship-caliber team, but they have a choice to make. They should only commit to one of Bratt or Meier, not both. The question now is, who do they see as the best fit going forward? They both play different styles of games and both of them can be key contributors to this team. Only time will tell which direction the Devils will go in.
