After signing a contract that made him the highest paid New Jersey Devils forward, Timo Meier had an injury plagued and inconsistent season. Today we look at why he needs to be better.
Timo Meier joined the New Jersey Devils just prior to the trade deadline during the 2022-23 season. While there were some adjustments early on in his run, he still became an important piece for the Devils down the stretch. There were again some struggles and adjustments in the playoffs (not to mention an instance of Jacob Trouba being Jacob Trouba) but the expectation was that the Devils had found another integral piece. Meier’s contact was up at season’s end, and he would sign an eight year extension called at $70.4 million total. The 2023-24 season would be Meier’s first full one with the Devils and with his new cap charge of $8.8 million.
2023-24 in hindsight is a season that the fans and the Devils themselves, Meier included, probably world rather forget.
As the second highest paid Devil behind Dougie Hamilton and as the highest paid forward, expectations for Timo were high. Sadly, he came nowhere close to meeting those expectations, with 52 points in 69 games played. Meier was one of the Devils who started the season off slowly and also dealt with injuries impacting his production. He would finish strong for a respectful point total, yet 52 points wasn’t enough for the amount he was making. This was underscored even more by Jesper Bratt, also an RFA the previous summer, leading the team with 83 points after signing his own weight year deal, albeit for roughly a million less per season.
Instead of continuing to talk about last season here today, let’s instead move our focus to the upcoming season that now sits roughly two months away. If the Devils are to return to the postseason, Meier shouldering a large chunk of the offensive load is a necessity. I’m not saying he has to be the highest scoring forward on the team; honestly I think we’ll be seeing Bratt and Jack Hughes battling for that title. I am saying that Meier needs to be at least a strong third option for the Devils and he needs to get back to being at least a 70 point scorer.
The most encouraging factor in this equating is Meier’s health. As said before, he missed time with injury last season and also played hurt for portions of the campaign. Even when his production saw an uptick towards the latter portion of 2023-24, Timo still wasn’t 100%. With 2024-25, he gets a chance to start the season off on the correct foot (as does the rest of the team compared to last season) and to bring the scoring acumen that he was known for prior to his acquisition back to the forefront.
If Timo can play the entire season the way he finished 2023-24, then there won’t be any worries and he’ll easily live up to his current contract. Even if he gets back to the mid-60 point range, he deal will still look fine as the cap rises. If he doesn’t figure out all of the offense, sure, he still brings value because there will be some offense as well as intangibles other forwards don’t bring, such as his physicality and willingness to go to the “dirty” areas on the ice. But at the same time, the Devils are a team looking to compete and to maximize value out of all their players. If your highest paid forward isn’t bringing the value needed or expected, well that’s the kind of thing that gets scrutinized when other contracts come up for renewal. Or when other players have to be moved because of salary reasons; you know, the kinds of moves that get GMs fired.
Additionally, Meier needs to be better because if he isn’t, it could affect the team’s cap structure in the long run. Sure, maybe a player or two takes a team friendly deal here or there, but if Meier remains a 50ish point guy, what’s to stop other players who outproduce him from wanting more? What’s to stop them from wanting out if the Devils balk at their terms. There was some concern last summer of having to overpay Meier and now that label could come true if he continues to underperform.
Personally, I think Meier is going to put together a great season this year for the Devils. Yes, he’s a streaky player, but when he’s on, he’s on. Having a different coach and system this season could be the spark Timo needs as well. I know the last bit of analysis seemed to be doom and gloom, but I don’t think we get there (trashing Timo, calling for Tom Fitzgerald to be fired, or both) unless Meier begins putting up multiple bad seasons (read: much worse than last year) in a row. He’s still bringing the Devils a good amount of value right now; he’s just not bringing $8.8 million worth of value and he needs to get back to that level. Otherwise, the Devils might see their contention window close before they get the chance to break through it.
What are your thoughts on Timo Meier and his current contract; do you feel he needs to be better based on being the highest paid forward? Do you think that due to the other aspects of his game he’s worth paying more than some other forwards? What are your expectations for him in 2024-25? Leave any and all comments below and thanks as always for reading!