The New Jersey Devils have been quite busy this offseason. They already inked Jesper Bratt to an eight-year contract and recently acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames. Now, they have made another massive move, signing Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million contract.
Jersey’s got the ⛽️
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 28, 2023
We’ve got the 🔥
And for the next 8 years…
We’ve got TIMO 🤬 MEIER pic.twitter.com/N6ZKbcQqB9
Meier was the Devils’ biggest remaining restricted free agent (RFA), and now they have officially signed him. With this deal, he will be a major part of the club’s core for several years to come.
Meier’s Strong 2022-23 Season
When looking at Meier’s 2022-23 season, it is fair to say that he has earned this monstrous payday. The 26-year-old put together some impressive offensive totals, posting 40 goals (career high) and 66 points in 78 games played split between the Devils and San Jose Sharks. He did, however, see his production drop a tad after joining the Devils. In 21 regular-season games following the move, he had nine goals and 14 points. He then followed that up with four points in 11 playoff games. Overall, it was not the grandest of starts to his tenure as a Devil, but now he has plenty of time to make up for it.
Sometimes a player can have a little bit of a hard time adjusting to a new team, so we should expect to see Meier’s offensive totals spike back up as he gets used to New Jersey’s system. At the end of the day, it was still an excellent year for him overall, hence the big contract.
Meier’s Long-Term Fit With Devils
With this move, the Devils are keeping around one of their top forwards for eight more seasons. Meier will continue to be a key part of the Devils’ top six, whether he is playing with Jack Hughes or captain Nico Hischier. He also offers great versatility, as the star winger can play both sides. Due to this, he should have zero trouble fitting anywhere in New Jersey’s top six.
Related: 2023 NHL Offseason: List of Unrestricted Free Agents
When noting that Meier is an excellent goal scorer, it is quite easy to predict that he will be a huge part of their power play moving forward. His net-front presence ability is strong, and his offensive IQ allows him to create plays with ease. He also should be a candidate for penalty-kill time, as his two-way game has been improving.
Devils Continuing to Make Good Moves
One has to admire the work that Devils general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald has been doing as of late. As noted above, he recently locked up Bratt and added Toffoli. Now, he has signed Meier to a long-term deal, making the star a major part of their core for several years to come.
What’s more impressive about this is that the Devils still have plenty of money left to work with this summer. As a result, Fitzgerald is in a position to make this club even better for next season. We will need to wait and see what other moves New Jersey make from here and how well Meier performs in 2023-24 with his new deal.
