Fantasy spin: Meier trade impact on Devils, Sharks
Wing to play on line with Hughes or Hischier, boosts New Jersey's Stanley Cup chances
IMPACT OF MEIER TRADE ON DEVILS
The New Jersey Devils acquired Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, giving him an even higher fantasy ceiling for the rest of the season.
Meier, a top 40 overall fantasy player based on performance in standard leagues (32nd prior to trade) this season, is likely to play on a line with either center Jack Hughes, a Hart Trophy candidate, or fellow Switzerland-born forward Nico Hischier and makes the Devils one of the most appealing teams in keeper and dynasty leagues. Hughes ranks seventh in the NHL in points per game (1.35; 74 in 55 games) this season and now could have an elite wing linemate in Meier, who goes from a non-contending team to one of the top five in the NHL standings.
LINEUP NOTE: Meier (upper body) will not play at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Meier missed his final three games with the Sharks but remains among the NHL leaders in goals (31; tied for 14th as of Sunday) and shots on goal (255; third) this season. Meier has also tied his NHL career high with 18 power-play points in 57 games after having the same total in 77 games last season.
The 26-year-old Meier, who can become a restricted free agent after this season, adds to the young nucleus of the Devils, who have 24-and-under talent in forwards Hughes, Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and will eventually incorporate high-end prospects in defensemen Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec and forward Alexander Holtz.
RELATED: [Meier traded to Devils by Sharks | 2022-23 NHL Trade Tracker]
Meier, known for his fantasy category coverage of hits (112 this season; 1.7 per game in NHL career), has taken his offensive game to another level over the past two seasons despite the Sharks missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season and being outside of the postseason picture again this season. Meier had NHL career highs in goals (35), assists (41), points (76) and shots on goal (326) last season.
If Meier plays right wing for the Devils, the most likely options to round out his unit at left wing are Yegor Sharangovich or Ondrej Palat. If Meier plays left wing, it could boost the fantasy value of either Bratt, one of the NHL's breakout players over the past two seasons combined (129 points in 135 games over span), or Mercer, who has an NHL career-high 19 goals and has been heating up over his past six games (10 points in span).
Another likely fantasy beneficiary is New Jersey's No. 1 goalie Vitek Vanecek, who should now have even more goal support after the Meier trade. Vanecek has had a breakout season with 25 wins (tied for fourth in NHL) in 38 games.
The trade boosts the Stanley Cup futures appeal of the Devils, who have been the NHL's most improved team and biggest surprise this season, and solidifies their place among the top 5-10 championship contenders. The move also continues the arms race in the Eastern Conference, Metropolitan Division and among the New York-area teams; the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Ryan O'Reilly on Feb. 17, the New York Rangers acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 9 and the New York Islanders acquired forward Bo Horvat on Jan. 30.
IMPACT OF MEIER TRADE ON SHARKS
In return for Meier, the Sharks acquired forwards Andreas Johnsson and Fabian Zetterlund from the Devils. Zetterlund, 23, is worth monitoring in keeper and dynasty leagues with a chance to slot into the top six and first power play with valuable forwards Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and elite defenseman Erik Karlsson.
The Sharks offense will take a big hit from losing their leading goal scorer in Meier, but their top-heavy roster -- led by Karlsson, who leads NHL defensemen in points (77 in 60 games) this season -- should continue to yield sneaky fantasy value.
Zetterlund has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists), three on the power play, in 45 games this season with occasional top-six usage and was nearly a point-per-game player (52 in 58 games) for Utica of the American Hockey League last season. Johnsson, 28, had his best season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19 (43 points in 73 games) and was fantasy-relevant at times last season when he was playing on a line with Bratt and Mercer for the Devils, finishing with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 71 games.
Photo credit: Andrew Maclean/New Jersey Devils
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