The San Jose Sharks might not be huge players in the unrestricted free agent market this year, but they are keeping another one of their excellent young players. Timo Meier has signed a four-year contract extension with the Sharks that will carry a $6MM average annual value. Meier will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal, and will be eligible for salary arbitration. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his young forward:
Timo is one of only a few young, dominant power forwards in the NHL and we’re extremely pleased that he stepped forward to make this commitment to the Sharks. Timo has elevated himself into a core part of our hockey team and his play last season was a huge part of our success. We feel that his best hockey is still ahead of him.
With numbers rolling around for some of the top restricted free agents that sometimes approaches eight digits, the Sharks look like they got a steal of a deal with Meier. The 22-year-old had a breakout season and keeps showing marked improvement in each year, which the team was hoping for when they made him the ninth-overall pick in 2015. Meier tallied three goals and six points in 34 games during his rookie season, but took that to a new level in his sophomore campaign when he tallied 21 goals and 36 points. While solid, Meier took his game to a whole new level this year as he became a major component to the Sharks’ offense, scoring 30 goals and 66 points.
With a better than expected $6MM deal, the Sharks should have some extra money to add depth to their team. The team has lost a number of key players from last season as they recently allowed captain Joe Pavelski as well as winger Joonas Donskoi to walk away in free agency. The team also traded away defenseman Justin Braun on defense and have quite a few holes to fill.
So let me get this straight you have no problem signing a kid to a four-year deal paying him 24 million and you still don’t know what he will be but you had no issues letting your captain walk and signed somewhere else on a three-year deal paying him 21 million? As a golden knights fan I find this very funny typical sharks.
My thoughts exactly. Meier is good but Pavelski is better. Even at his age
It’s quite unlikely Pavelski ever has another year like this year, and Timo is only going to get better so the Sharks had to lock him up, but now they don’t have the 7 million Pavelski wants. I expect either Couture or Burns to be the next captain.
It’s not a huge surprise you’re a Vegas fan. Since you’re new to this whole hockey thing, let’s help you out.
Pavelski – 35 years old next month (the age at which players tend to decline to the point the NHL has made rules to prevent teams from exploiting longer contracts to help with the salary cap) – 64 points last season (9 in the playoffs, though he missed a bit of time to injuries)
Meier – 23 years old when the season starts – 66 points last season (15 in the playoffs)
With 14mil in cap space, you can’t afford both the $7mil AAV contract and the $6mil AAV (you won’t have enough space left to fill out a roster). So, you’re forced to choose one of the two.
At 23 years, Meier is still developing. At 35 years, Pavelski is likely due for a decline. This is ignoring that head injuries are a bad omen. With Meier expected to increase productivity, he’s already ahead of Pavelski. He comes at a cheaper AAV. At the end of the 4 years, he’s still going to be a restricted free agent meaning the team has a better chance of continuing to keep him in Teal beyond those 4 years.
You’d prefer see your team choose the 35 year old for a few more years and give up on a player that’s already outperforming him for 4+ years? While I’m not surprised, you’d do better to stay quiet until you understand how these things work. You’ll look less absurd.
Thank you.
Lmao thank you for that! I’m gonna miss Pavelski I’m not gonna lie. That’s a big loss to fill, but Meier is worth every penny. After losing Pavelski, Nyquist, Donskoi, and Braun that frees us up quite a bit.