Meier traded to Devils by Sharks for 4 players, 3 draft picks

Timo Meier was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

The Sharks, who will retain 50 percent of Meier's salary, received forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Andreas Johnsson, defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotiuk, a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a second- and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Devils also received defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, forward prospect Timur Ibragimov, goalie prospect Zachary Emond, and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"The last couple of weeks you kind of heard the rumors and talk out there, and you expect something will happen, and New Jersey was always in there," Meier said. "You kind of assume that could be a spot where you're going to and you see them play ... they're an exciting team to watch and a tough team to play against. For me to get that opportunity to join a team like that with a lot of young guys who are stars in this league and are really good players is a great opportunity for me."
Meier said he has spoken to Devils coach Lindy Ruff and fellow Switzerland-born center Nico Hischier, New Jersey's captain. The 26-year-old forward will likely join the team when they travel to Denver on Tuesday ahead of their game at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
"It was really nice to talk to Ruff | Fantasy spin: Meier trade impact on Devils, Sharks]*
Selected by San Jose in the first round (No. 9) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Meier has 316 points (154 goals, 162 assists) in 451 regular-season games, and 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 35 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Fluent in four languages (Swiss, French, English and German), Meier is just looking to play his brand of hockey to help the Devils down the stretch.
"I'm kind of your typical power forward," he said. "I like to shoot the puck and try to get to the net, those areas where I can be a threat to score. I like to play a 200-foot game and add my physicality. I think that's kind of my mentality. I'm going to try to be the best Timo Meier I can be for the New Jersey Devils."
Meier (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) led the Sharks in power-play goals (13) and hits (112) and was third in takeaways (48).
"It's the skill set, the ability to score goals, and the body size. Size helps," Fitzgerald said. "It was something I think we all believed we could add. We're not overly big at the forward group, but he helps make us a bigger, stronger team. He's a power forward, gets to the net, is tough to move away from the net, holds pucks down low, can skate, drives to the net. Just small things like that ... they add up to be a player that you admire and say, 'I want that on my team.' That's what Timo Meyer brings."
Harrington, a 29-year-old defenseman, has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 28 games this season. He signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on Sept. 30 after attending training camp on a professional tryout contract.
A second-round pick (No. 54) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 NHL Draft, Harrington has 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) in 238 regular-season games for the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets and Sharks.
Fitzgerald said he and his staff will get together on Monday to discuss other possible options to further bolster the lineup.
"I don't think it's any secret that we're ahead of where we thought we would be," he said. "Guys have taken huge steps in their game. I think the additions that we've made have really been effective and done what we thought they would do with our young core and the pillars that we have."
The Devils (39-15-5), who are 8-2-1 in their past 11 games, are second in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes. They have qualified for the playoffs just once since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, that coming in 2018, when they lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round.
"When you make a move like this or even a smaller move, you're showing your team, you're showing your fan base, that we want to improve, we can get better," Fitzgerald said. "The players told me where they were, and it's no different than in the past. We weren't buyers in the past for the obvious. We had a record of what we had, and it was still sell time, grab future assets. But when you grab those future assets in the past, you know the grass was going to get greener because of the growth and development of our young players, so then we can use those future assets for days like today."
Zetterlund, 23, has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 45 games this season. A third-round pick (No. 63) by the Devils in the 2017 NHL Draft, Zetterlund had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 14 games last season, his first in the NHL.
Mukhamadullin was selected in the first round (No. 20) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old has played the past four seasons for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League and has 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 66 games this season.
Okhotiuk, 22, has one goal in 10 games this season. Johnsson, 28, has 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 36 games with Utica of the American Hockey League. He had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 71 NHL games last season.
"We think Shakir is a good player, someone we envision in our top four for quite a while," Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. "A great prospect and player that fills out our depth. Him and Nikita help our long-term plan."
The Sharks (18-30-12) are seventh in the Pacific Division.
"No. I still don't think it's a full-on rebuild," Grier said. "Everyone always wants to put a label on it. We're trying to flip this thing as quickly as we can but also making sure we get the right people in and make the right moves. I think it's kind of a step-by-step plan. It's a retool."
The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Friday.