Meier arrival 'big piece of the puzzle' for Devils playoff push
Forward acquired in trade with Sharks on Sunday, could play against Avalanche on Wednesday
"I feel like it's something that's going to be really good for us with the way he plays," Hischier said Monday. "He's not afraid to use his body, can score goals, is a real competitor. It's all these things that we can use. He's going to be a big piece of the puzzle to where we want to get to."
New Jersey acquired Meier in
a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Sunday
.
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. Harrington was claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks from New Jersey on Tuesday.
RELATED: [2023 NHL Trade Tracker | Meier traded to Devils by Sharks]
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 second- and seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft.
"He's a gamer for sure," Hischier said of Meier. "He comes up big in big games and is just an all-around dangerous player. You got to contain a player like that during a game and especially for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The size he has (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) can help us a lot; he's been in the playoffs, he has experience there as well. So it's definitely a useful pickup."
The move provides even more offensive ammunition to a team that already has made great strides this season. New Jersey (39-15-5) is second in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who have one game in hand.
"I think we were all hearing the rumors, so now that it's done, we're excited to have him," Devils center Jack Hughes said. "He brings a lot of skill, brings a lot of size to us too. He's a 30-goal scorer already so he'll be a big pickup. Hopefully we have Timo here for a while. He's a part of our corps now and we're really happy to have him."
Meier is in the final season of a four-year contract he signed July 1, 2019, and can become a restricted free agent after the season. He has 52 points (31 goals, 21 assists) in 57 games this season after he had an NHL career-high 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games last season.
"It's a better feeling than in the last couple of years when you're on the other end of [the NHL Trade Deadline] and the players are moving out," coach Lindy Ruff said. "We said we wanted to be a team that, when it came to this time of the year, wanted to play games that count. We're in a position where every game counts. We can still move up the standings, and the message from ownership and management is, we believe in you guys, and we think that by adding we can be even better."
New Jersey has missed the playoffs four straight seasons and in nine of the past 10.
"I've been playing here for so many years when we've been sellers during the trade deadline and now we're having this kind of start and [general manager Tom Fitzgerald] has been aggressive and gets a top player that's going to make a huge difference for us," forward Jesper Bratt said. "I think for the type of player he is, with his size and also his playoff experience, it's going to be huge for us. I'm really looking forward to playing with him."
Meier is expected to join the Devils when they arrive in Denver on Tuesday prior to New Jersey playing the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Wednesday. Meier missed his final three games with the Sharks because of an upper-body injury and Sunday said he is day to day.
Ruff said if Meier is healthy, he'll play on a line with either Hischier or Hughes.
"When you look at Nico's line right now [with left wing Tomas Tatar and right wing Dawson Mercer], that line is going well, so maybe he'll start with Jack," Ruff said. "I liked the familiarity with Nico and maybe them together helping each other out a little bit, or Nico helping out with the way we play. But I like the dynamic sense of him going up there next to Jack too."
Hischier and Meier have played together on several occasions while representing Switzerland in international competitions, including the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, when Meier was captain, and IIHF World Championship in 2021 and 2022.
"We've set our expectations high in here so it doesn't really matter even after a trade like that," Hischier said. "We'll try to be good teammates for Timo, help him out here, try to involve him as much as we can from the get-go. We're here to achieve big things; that's not a secret. Timo's just a piece that's going to help us get there."
Photo credit: Andrew Maclean/New Jersey Devils
