Streaky scorer Timo Meier’s goal production has dried up in the 2025 calendar year. As the New Jersey Devils continue to push for the playoffs, they could use Meier to heat up after the Four Nations break.
The summer after his acquisition from the San Jose Sharks, the New Jersey Devils inked Timo Meier to an eight year extension. Valued at $70.4 million total, the deal sees Meier count for $8.8 million against the salary cap each season. This figure (coupled with Jesper Bratt signing for less the same summer) made Meier the highest paid current Devils forward, a title which he still holds to this day. Since the turn of the calendar year however, one could argue that Meier hasn’t really done a whole lot to justify that paycheck.
Even before coming to New Jersey, Timo had acquired a reputation as a streaky scorer. While he continues to do the little things and get to the right places, he’s taken “streaky” to be heights. Since the calendar changed over to 2025, Meier has just one goal. You’re reading that correctly. One goal in 17 Devils contests since the start of the year. And he’s making $8.8 million this season.
Sure, looking at his goal total doesn’t tell the whole story. After all, I already complemented his overall play and he does have nine assists over those games as well. At the same time, you want a bit more than 10 points in 17 contests from a guy you’re paying that much money per season for. Meier’s points per game have gone down (0.59 per game) in 2025 from where he was in October through December (0.71) as well. Some of it is bad luck; anyone watching has seen Timo get robbed, be it by a goalpost or by an opposing goalie. Conversely, you can argue that good players find ways to get pucks into the back of the net.
If there’s one positive that could bode well for Meier, it would have to be the slick shootout goal he recorded against the Penguins in their game back on the 4th. Meier showed exactly on that move why he can be such a potent goal scorer. If the Devils want to boost their playoff hopes and chances, they should be hoping that Meier spends the Four Nations break getting recharged and gearing up to have an offensive outburst when the team returns to action next Saturday.
If Timo can come back energized in with his goal scoring touch in tow, the Devils could easily heat back up and string together a large number of wins. Meier has shown that when he gets hot, he can become a near unstoppable force in this league, and his size and physicality make him a difficult match-up for almost any other player in the NHL. If Meier were able to catch fire out of the break like this, it would enable the Devils to rebuild their buffer in the standings that they had earlier in the year.
There are certainly other players who could use to get hot as well, or to shake some offensive funk surrounding them. There are definitely players who have been providing next to no offense and very little of anything else who’ve drawn the ire of fans. While we obviously could focus in on that, I think it’s important to hold the high paid players to expectations, rather than just the guys who are making league minimum or close to it.
Timo Meier isn’t the only Devils who is underperforming. But having a player of his talent step up and increase his offensive totals could be the cure for the Devils 2025 woes. Let’s hope he puts it together and helps bring the Devils back to the postseason.
What are your thoughts on Timo Meier and the need for him to heat up offensively? Do you think others should be carrying more of the load instead? Do you think that if he starts putting more pucks in the net the Devils will do better overall? Is there another factor that you think will play a bigger role in the Devils having increased success in the final 25 games? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!