Meier contract solidifies core, gives Devils win in 'bet on New Jersey'

NASHVILLE -- The New Jersey Devils' big plan with Timo Meier worked out.

The rest is going to be on the forward and the team to make good on the commitment they made together Wednesday.

Meier signed an eight-year, $70.4 million contract ($8.8 million average annual value). He could have been a restricted free agent Saturday, but Meier, acquired by New Jersey in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26, bought into the Devils and everything they can offer a player.

"Coming in in the middle of the season it was definitely a big adjustment and when I came in obviously it's right in the season and you're so focused on playing hockey," Meier said Thursday. "For me the moment was after the season when I had the time to reflect on the time I had in Jersey and look at the team, look at the future of this team, the area, the fanbase, the management, all those things. That's the time when I had the time myself to think about everything and consider everything, and that's the time I realized I wanted to be and that's the place I want to win a Stanley Cup."

It's exactly what general manager Tom Fitzgerald was hoping would happen.

"You know what, I bet on New Jersey," Fitzgerald said. "I bet on what we have to offer players. I bet on our facility. I bet on the limited time traveling. I bet on the suburbs and Jersey City and Hoboken. And I bet on our team, just coming in and experiencing this. We're showing people around the League that we are now a destination for players and I have to give credit to our core players who continue to lift us up and show the rest of the League that we are serious about putting a championship roster on the ice. I hedged a bet on us and I hedged a bet on what we can offer players, and we won."

RELATED: [Meier signs 8-year contract to stay with Devils]

Meier's signing is the latest in a series of moves made by the Devils to solidify their core for many more years after finishing with the most wins (52) and points (112) in their history and losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

The Devils signed forward Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $63 million contract ($7.875 million AAV) on June 15, and forward Erik Haula to a three-year, $9.45 million contract ($3.15 million AAV) eight days later.

They acquired forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Tuesday for forward Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Toffoli has one year remaining on a four-year contract that carries a $4.25 million AAV.

Forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat, and defensemen Dougie Hamilton, John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler were all previously signed to long-term contracts.

"We're building a team here that we believe can challenge each and every year for the ultimate goal, to win the Stanley Cup," Fitzgerald said.

"Our window just opened up."

The Devils are banking on the fact that Meier got used to how they play, their systems and everything about the team by playing with them for 21 regular season games and 11 more in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so that he will not need any adjustment time to start next season.

"He can look at himself as he's going to be part of this team for a long time," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "When you come in the way he did he's thinking if it doesn't work out here I'll go somewhere else. But he's exactly what we need, a big strong guy, gets to the inside. He'll be a big part of a good Jersey team for a long time."

Meier said getting a full training camp will help him even though he experienced playing with the Devils last season.

"I got a good first sniff but now you're fully committed," he said. "It's so exciting for me, my family and my friends to know all those thoughts you had swirling in your head you don't have anymore and now you can just focus on the task ahead."

Fitzgerald could barely contain his excitement when discussing Toffoli and getting him the 31-year-old forward into the mix in New Jersey.

Toffoli won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, and set NHL career highs in goals (34), assists (39) and points (73) in 82 games with the Flames this season.

"We think even at 31 years old that Tyler Toffoli has a lot more to give and offer," Fitzgerald said. "His experience of winning, you just can't teach that. You need people to help you understand what it's like to go four rounds in a playoff. It's hard. We just went two. It was hard. Our goal is to win a Stanley Cup so for me adding players with championship pedigree it can only help our young players understand really what it takes to win. He's a proven pure goal scorer and to win hockey games you've got to score goals. We're thankful we got that done."

Ruff said he thinks Toffoli can play on any of the Devils' top three lines.

"I think our strength is the ability to move guys around," Ruff said. "You could see him playing on the third line with [Dawson] Mercer or on the top line with Jack. A lot of speed and a great goal scorer. He could play up with Nico. There's a lot of places he could play."

New Jersey still has four players who can become restricted free agents Saturday in forwards Nathan Bastian, Jesper Boqvist and Michael McLeod, and defenseman Kevin Bahl.

Fitzgerald said forwards Tomas Tatar and Miles Wood, and defenseman Ryan Graves will all become unrestricted free agents Saturday.

"You become a good team because you have replacements in your organization for players who become UFA. That doesn't mean we don't circle back with them after July 1, but leading up to July 1 we're worried about our RFAs."

It's likely that they will target a veteran right-shot defenseman to add to a mix that includes Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Brendan Smith, Bahl and Luke Hughes. The Devils traded defenseman Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 9.

Hughes, the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, is penciled in to be in the Devils' top six defense group. The 19-year-old had two assists in three playoff games after joining the Devils following the conclusion of his sophomore season at the University of Michigan.

Simon Nemec, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, will get an opportunity in training camp to make the roster, but Ruff warned that having too many young defensemen too soon might not be the best way to go.

"It's pretty hard to have two of them," Ruff said. "You've got to be careful of getting too young too fast, especially on the back end."