It’s been a busy week around the New Jersey Devils, and it’ll only get more active with the Stanley Cup Final over and NHL Draft less than two weeks away. First, they re-signed Jesper Bratt to an eight-year contract extension after a long, grinding negotiation, ending a saga that dragged on for quite some time. That was the only transaction for the Devils, but rumors around the team are beginning to pick up. Let’s dive into the latest on Timo Meier, Yegor Sharangovich and Dawson Mercer in this edition of Devils News & Rumors.
Meier & Devils Interested in Long-Term Extension
Early Friday morning (June 16), Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald held his press conference on re-signing Bratt to an eight-year extension. Of course, there was talk of Bratt and how signing him was always a priority. Bratt spoke after Fitzgerald, too, but the notable takeaways came from what Fitzgerald had to say.
Among the key talking points was Meier and where things stand in his contract negotiation, as he’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights like Bratt. Fitzgerald mentioned he spoke to Meier and Claude Lemieux — Meier’s agent — and that Meier stated he wants to remain a Devil long-term:
“Timo knows since I spoke to him (on June 15),” Fitzgerald said to Mike Morreale. “He knows how much we want to continue this relationship, long term, and he’s reiterated that to me … this is where he wants to be. He sees himself as a Devil and has asked his agent to negotiate an eight-year deal with us. It’s music to my ears, and we’ll continue to kind of chip away at it, but the goal is to have Timo Meier in a Devils uniform for the next eight years.”
In his rumblings piece for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun reported there’s no interest in signing Meier to a one-year deal, which would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He also mentioned that Lemieux is on board for a long-term extension with the Devils and that the mutual feeling is to get the contract done (From “LeBrun: Erik Karlsson ‘open-minded’ on trade destinations, plus latest rumblings on Meier, Barbashev, Hellebuyck, more” – The Athletic, 6/16/2023).
Related: Devils & Bratt Find Mutual Value With 8-Year Contract
The Devils filed for team-elected arbitration with Meier earlier in the week, but that’s standard procedure. Arbitration hearings don’t occur until the end of July/early August, so there’s plenty of time to negotiate. Given that there seems to be mutual interest in getting something done, there shouldn’t be much of an issue in the Devils getting their own Core 4 with Meier, Bratt, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
Teams Calling on Sharangovich
LeBrun didn’t just have bullets on Meier in his piece for The Athletic. He also mentioned that the Devils are getting plenty of calls on Yegor Sharangovich, who’s also an RFA with arbitration rights this offseason. That tracks with what Elliotte Friedman reported on the June 16 episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, as he said talks around Sharangovich have picked up and that we could see something here soon.
Sharangovich had a down season, finishing with only 13 goals and 30 points in 75 games. His impacts did fall off, but the decline in production was also due to some poor shooting luck. When on his game, he’s a capable middle-six forward who can pot 20 to 25 goals a season because of his above-average shot.
With Bratt signed and Meier likely to follow in the next few weeks, Fitzgerald will have to move some players for cap-related reasons. Sharangovich is one of those candidates, as he should earn somewhere around $3 to $3.5 million annually on a new contract. If the Devils want to make external additions this offseason, then it’ll be tough to fit in Sharangovich at that price.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Devils get for the Belarusian forward in a trade. They’d likely be good with adding another draft pick or two for the 2023 draft. But if they’re getting a ton of calls about Sharangovich, perhaps that increases his value if there are multiple teams bidding. I also wouldn’t rule out a player-for-player swap, as the Devils did with Erik Haula and Pavel Zacha in a trade with the Boston Bruins a year ago. Regardless, it seems like Sharangovich’s days with the Devils may be coming to a close.
Mercer Could Get a Long-Term Extension Too
Circling back to Fitzgerald’s presser, he was asked about Mercer, who had an impressive 2022-23 campaign. Once Meier’s deal gets done and the offseason quiets down, Mercer could be a candidate for a new contract too:
Mercer is entering the third year of his entry-level contract, making him eligible for a contract extension starting on July 1. He finished this past season with 27 goals and 56 points in 82 games, and at 21 years old, his best hockey is yet to come. That’s why it’d be wise for Fitzgerald and the Devils to try and get Mercer locked up this summer before he really breaks out and becomes more expensive.
Mercer isn’t eligible to become a UFA until 2028. With an extension not kicking in until 2024, signing him for at least six years would eat two UFA years and could be the best path for both sides. It gets Mercer signed long-term during his prime, which benefits the Devils, but also gives him a chance to test the UFA waters and earn another payday at age 29 when he should still have some good hockey left in him.
If the Devils and Mercer agree to a six-year deal, I’d expect the cap hit to be around $5.5 to 6 million annually. With other priorities to take care of (re-signing Meier, the draft and free agency), I wouldn’t expect the Devils to re-up Mercer until later in the summer. But if there’s a path to an agreement, it could get done later this summer too.
