Confirmed with Link: Devils acquire Meier (50% retained) and four others from the Sharks for 2023 1st, conditional 2024 1st, Mukhamadullin, Okhotiuk, Zetterlund & Johnsson

[MasterofGrond]

There's obviously a reason Grier didn't want to allow teams to talk to him. I'm sure it wasn't just that he wanted a smaller return.

Yeah but that may or may not be a reason that hurts us. If he wanted to come to NJ all along and SJ knows that, maybe you don't let him talk to anyone at all so they don't figure out he definitely won't sign, and if you let him talk to NJ and nobody else that'd be a massive red flag too.

Plus I don't think no extension realistically lowered his value that much based on what grier just got for him, so...

 

[Hisch13r]

The most likely reason is that Meier said or Grier guessed that he preferred to sign here. If Grier let us talk to Lemieux and he confirmed that, suddenly Fitz has more leverage in the trade negotiations. Obviously Grier wouldn't want that, so he said no talking to Lemieux.

In the end, that information may have gotten to Fitz through the grapevine anyway, and that's why he was suddenly willing to pull the trigger on this deal without the extension. Because he knows the player wants to sign here.

lol I mean you’d have to think Nico and Siegs have talked to him about it. There’s no way we aren’t a real option for him

 

[MasterofGrond]

lol I mean you’d have to think Nico and Siegs have talked to him about it. There’s no way we aren’t a real option for him

Yeah, I am certain Fitz has confidence he's at least open to a deal. I think Fitz has been very shrewd in getting trade value, so giving up that much for a guy you're not confident is staying would be out of character

 

[Hisch13r]

Yeah, I am certain Fitz has confidence he's at least open to a deal. I think Fitz has been very shrewd in getting trade value, so giving up that much for a guy you're not confident is staying would be out of character

 

[Saugus]

Unrelated to the trade, but an interesting tidbit that I wasn't aware of.

Mack Celebrini is a ridiculously good hockey name.

 

[Nemec]

Weiterleitungshinweis

Overwhelmingly positive reviews of the trade for the Devils.

 

[theoptimist]

 

[Devs3cups]

What an absolute beauty. Dude's a unit.

 

[Sandisfan]

I thought I would post this from my message in the Draft- Prospects thread about one of the throw ins.

He has had one of those core injuries... Like Cheechoo had a hernia like one where many who have this injury never get back their core strength. When he was playing on the Sharks most of our non-Burns or Karlsson D men could almost only throw the puck down the rink hoping to not get a icing or pound it on the boards to get it out, often with the results of it coming back in and having a shift even with a our one good line getting hemmed in and wasting their shift. Hatakka could spin and move and get room to get it to partner in a good position or get the puck to a forward with a good breakout possibility.

He has been out almost two years and him ever getting back to where he was is just a lottery. I think with your young D group they may try to get him some AHL time to build some value but there is a, IMHO, a 65% chance he will never get back to 95% of where he was, just bad injury luck for him plus it was a Short Sample Size so it could have been a mirage of him being a 4th to good 5th Dman. If he comes back it will take at least a half a season till he would be ready I think.

I would hope you release him and he comes back to the Cuda (AHL) and recovers and gets back to where he was or gets back to where he seemed to be with another team not in our division.

 

[stator]

Stupid tweet.... Meier, being an RFA, has no choice in the matter. It's not like he can decide NJD's contract extension is no good, then decide to go UFA.

The only choices Meier has is whether he will use arbitration or not, or sign offer sheets or not, or play professional hockey overseas (snowball chance in hell).

 

[youryeah]

james nichols stinks. I can't remember the last tweet he had that had something that wasn't either

a) said a minute ago by someone else
b) not completely f***ing obvious

 

[goonybird]

he's so obviously re-signing lol

 

[IDEKWTM]

f***, Karlsson is so f***ing good.

I would trade Hamilton for him

 

[Saugus]

After watching this, my conclusion is that Meier is going to feast on PP one-timers getting fed to him by Hughes and Hamilton. And it will be glorious to watch.

 

[theoptimist]

f***, Karlsson is so f***ing good.

I would trade Hamilton for him

I suspect Hamilton and Meier can link up like this too, but in their own way. Hamilton can't skate like Karlsson but I can see deflections, slap passes, etc

 

[Billdo]

james nichols stinks. I can't remember the last tweet he had that had something that wasn't either

a) said a minute ago by someone else
b) not completely f***ing obvious

I noticed that yesterday. Just regurgitating stuff and tweeting obvious things.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I’m still pinching myself at this being real.

Aww I just realized Zetts liked Timo’s Instagram post about flying to NJ. Goddammit, I love that red faced son of a gun. I hope he kills it in SJ.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

what in the world was that sound at 3:54

 

[IDEKWTM]

what in the world was that sound at 3:54

The universe trying to shut Hextall up

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

You were not fleeced. Ignore these people.

I would have rather lost Holtz+Sharangovich over Muk+Zetterlund. We'll also never know why the extension talk wasn't allowed, but for all we know he's going to Fiala his way to Vegas next year and would have decimated the return.

We're sending you guys some lottery ball luck.

Just wanted to add a funny note to the "Meier to Vegas" thing. Meier's best friend on the Sharks was. . . . wait for it. . . . Evander Kane.
And Kaner really loves Vegas, and I'm sure he's even invited Meier there. Just wanted to let you guys know that. Keep him away from money phones eh?

 

[Oneiro]

Late to the game but I love this deal. With no extension, it’s more than fair to SJ and you kept all future core players from the pool on top of a depth scorer / role player in Sharangovich.

I think Z had a lot of potential and utility despite his age and he was one of my favorite prospects for a while but cmon now. I don’t think twice about adding him to get this done. You can give Holtz more time and see what he is.

Mukh I always expected to be moved given the logjam and his upside and size. Will be super curious to see how he ends up, one of the most interesting prospects I’ve seen in a long time.

Okhotiuk doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s clear they want the idea of Kevin Bahl to work and they’re not going to give up on his profile so seems natural to move Okh. The other thing I’d say is that if you’re projecting the way the game is evolving even a little bit based on current trends, I don’t think you can have non-dynamic defensemen 3-5+ years from now. The game is getting too fast and way more transition oriented. Simple play every time isn’t going to work and I don’t think Okh had the dynamism you’d want, even from the bottom pair role. I liked him but Bahl will learn to get mean or he’ll get moved for someone who is.

The likely late 1sts…Meh. it’s Timo f***ing Meier, bitch.

Great job by Fitz. If I were an SJ fan, I’m not thrilled but it’s not bad either.

By the way, this is why you manage the cap and draft better than we did from 2005-2015. This is why the patience through turmoil is justified. Because you can’t add Ben Thomson, Ryan Rehill, Kujawinski, etc. to any trades because no one wants them.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Completely agree, I would have been shocked if they moved him and crushed because I'm attached to the player. Value wise, it really isn't that crazy though.

@Guttersniped you ran me down like a cheetah on a gazelle, and your going to let this go?

(Impatient foot tapping)

No offense @Unknown Caller

 

[jkrdevil]

Stupid tweet.... Meier, being an RFA, has no choice in the matter. It's not like he can decide NJD's contract extension is no good, then decide to go UFA.

The only choices Meier has is whether he will use arbitration or not, or sign offer sheets or not, or play professional hockey overseas (snowball chance in hell).

Obviously Nicholls is discussing a long term deal. He knows Meier is an RFA.

BTW, he is an RFA with a $10 million qualifying offer, so arbitration and offer sheets are really off the board. It is like the Tkachuk situation from last year, he can sign the qualifying offer for $10 million and walk himself to free agency. Given that price tag and what it could die to the Devils cap without the long term security, they would have to turn around and trade him. So he does have leverage, and why discussions about needing to sign him long term.

 

[Guttersniped]

@Guttersniped you ran me down like a cheetah on a gazelle, and your going to let this go?

(Impatient foot tapping)

No offense @Unknown Caller

I argued against it before the draft.

I responded to this Mercer for Meier madness after the trade as well in a couple of posts.

I’ve made the same argument a bunch of times.

The trade happened. I really thought reality would put a stop to the nonsense, but if that won’t work I can’t keep saying the same things.

There are no examples of a player like Mercer going in a trade like this. People feeling that he’s being “overrated”, but that’s a meaningless empty phrase to me.

Grier said he preferred guys who were more developed and he got Zetterlund, not Mercer. Big drop off there.

If people want to “imagine” this Meier trade with Mercer for some reason no one can stop them. I still don’t know why anyone would, unless they like fantasizing about very very horrible trades that are worse than the actual Meier trade.

Trade proposal time is over thank god, I thought they might keep until the draft and then they would never stop.

 

[Bleedred]

If Bo Horvat would sign with the Islanders then I’m sure Timo would sign here.

I think there will always be that doubt because of Zach Parise.

We’ve been going through this ever since.

I don’t think Meier or Bratt officially sign until the off-season, once Fitz sees what the cap situation is and what else he needs to add/keep.

But I’m sure people will freak out when neither are signed next week.