The New Jersey Devils are having a very busy offseason. The team has already traded away Damon Severson, Mackenzie Blackwood, Yegor Sharangovich, and Reilly Walsh, while bringing in Tyler Toffoli and Shane Bowers.
Now, with just a few days before he hit restricted free agency, Timo Meier has signed a massive extension.
The eight-year deal carries an average annual value of $8.8MM, making Meier the highest-paid forward on New Jersey. The full breakdown is as follows:
- 2023-24: $12.0MM
- 2024-25: $11.1MM
- 2025-26: $10.75MM
- 2026-27: $7.75MM
- 2027-28: $7.2MM
- 2028-29: $7.2MM
- 2029-30: $7.2MM
- 2030-31: $7.2MM
General manager Tom Fitzgerald released a statement on the deal:
We were excited to acquire Timo at the deadline, but it’s an even greater feeling knowing that he’ll be here for the next eight seasons. Timo’s unique blend of style of play, goal-scoring ability, and physical presence will prove valuable for us.
In talking with him, Timo realized, and I always believed, that this is the right place for him as a player and a person. We’ve locked up another piece of our young core that is looking to take that next step together for greater success.
Meier, who arrived in New Jersey at the deadline and scored 14 points in 21 games down the stretch, seems to be a perfect fit for the upstart Devils. The club wants to take another step toward Stanley Cup contention next season, has the cap space to retain him, and the support to keep him at the 40-goal mark he set this year.
Given that Meier is still just 26 years old, an eight-year extension also doesn’t pose all that much risk. Sure, he will likely start to decline before it expires, but the salary cap is also set to start increasing next summer. Getting him locked in now could mean Meier turns into a relative bargain down the road.
Of course, it was never going to be cheap. Meier’s last contract was structured so that a qualifying offer this summer would be worth $10MM, giving him a ton of leverage in extension talks. Seventy-five goals over the past two seasons also help.
With Jack Hughes already locked up at $8MM (a deal that looks like it might turn into one of the biggest steals in the NHL), Jesper Bratt recently extended through 2030-31, and captain Nico Hischier still signed through 2026-27, there is a real chance for the New Jersey forward group to pull off some special things in the next few years.
Meier’s powerful mix of skill and size should only complement that group, especially after adding another consistent middle-six winger in Toffoli, that can boost secondary scoring without requiring top-line minutes.
A long-term extension has always made sense—now Meier and the Devils need to take that difficult next step.
C’mon, Gavin … eight years is ALWAYS a risk. We’ve seen any number of these max term contracts go badly for the team.
I’d think there is a tier of players where NOT handing out max term is more of a risk for your team than a max term contract. Especially in this age range I see a benefit of locking in the player’s best years.
But I also think every GM/fan has a different line where this tier of players starts. For myself I’d count Meier in.
GMs generally don’t care about that long a term, because they won’t be around when the contract ends – if the team does well, they’ll get kicked upstairs, and if it doesn’t, they’ll be looking for a job elsewhere. As of right now, the median GM term is 3.75 years!
Oh, sure, I get that: heck, Lou Lamoriello signs someone to max term, he’ll be in the *grave* before that comes back to bite a team.
But while the GMs have no stake in the long term, the OWNERS surely do. Were I to own a team, it’d be a firing offense to sign anyone to longer than four years who wasn’t already on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Does Jersey plan on getting a goalie somehow too?
and that sets your Nylander # at 9M
Fitzgerald has done a fantastic job thus far In Jersey but this is a disaster that will see the light of day.
It’s a little higher than I’d hoped but many said it’d be north of 9 so I can dig it.
40 at 5 years will avoid alot of future headaches.