NHL
How’s Meier Doing With Devils?
It appears that Timo Meier has yet to win over New Jersey Devils fans.
This is in stark contrast to the fan-driven, tee shirt-worthy “Give me fuel, give me fire, give me Timo fucking Meier” days, before the Devils acquired Meier from the San Jose Sharks in January.
IT'S TIMO TIME IN NEW JERSEY! 😈
The @NJDevils acquire star forward Timo Meier from the @SanJoseSharks in exchange for a large package highlighted by @FabianZetterlun and a first-round pick! #NHLTradeDeadline
Details: https://t.co/FDbRWqg92Y pic.twitter.com/8Ol478Jpcd
— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2023
“Things started a little rocky for Meier,” James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now said. “It’s as you stated to me upon the initial acquisition, he was just trying to do a bit too much.”
Meier didn’t make a fantastic first impression in New Jersey last year, netting just a goal and an assist in his first six games.
“Once Meier settled down, he simplified his game and made an impact as a physical, net front presence and began putting the puck in the back of the net,” Nichols said.
Meier finished his first Devils campaign with eight goals in the last 15 games of the regular season.
In part because of injuries, however, Meier’s playoff impact was muted. The ex-San Jose Sharks star had just two goals and two assists in 11 contests, and the Devils lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
Regardless, New Jersey inked the 26-year-old power winger to an eight-year, $70.4 million extension ($8.8 million AAV). He’s the Devils’ highest-paid forward.
“He’s certainly made a difference physically which is something New Jersey severely lacks when he’s missing from the lineup,” Nichols said.
But more money, more problems.
While Meier is off to a solid-enough start to the season with five goals and six assists through 14 games, the Cup-contending Devils have just an 11-9-1 record. Meier has also missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury.
He will return to action tonight again his former team.
It’s not that Meier hasn’t been good, it’s just that expectations are sky-high for him and his team.
Just good isn’t good enough anymore, like it was for the struggling San Jose Sharks.
“Fans have certainly been indifferent about Meier’s play and being the highest-paid forward likely has something to do with it,” Nichols said. “However, before his injury, he was trending in the right direction. There should be no worries about Meier moving forward.”
