Jesper Bratt is the key to unlocking Timo Meier

Meier produced like a superstar when skating on a line with the New Jersey Devils' 2023-24 MVP.

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Timo Meier’s first full season as a member of the New Jersey Devils did not go as planned.

He missed 13 games due to injury and played at less than 100% for a hefty chunk of the season.

Whether it was a lower-body injury hampering his speed and burst earlier in the year, or a shoulder injury that needed to be surgically repaired, Meier dealt with constant injury problems.

He still scored a team-leading 28 goals in 69 games while finding the back of the net at a 33-goal pace.

That’s pretty impressive given the never-ending run of injuries. Not to mention, he skated on the 3rd line for a healthy chunk of the year and didn’t get reps on the top power play unit until March.

While seemingly moving past his lower-body injury – and playing on PP1 – helped Meier strongly finish the season, playing alongside Jesper Bratt might’ve been the biggest factor.

Meier was at a completely different level when skating on a line with No. 63 this season.

In terms of on-ice numbers, Meier posted a 53.73 CF% and +3 goal differential in 225 minutes opposite side of Bratt.

Meier helped the Devils control only 49.49% of the shot share without Bratt while being outscored by 18 goals(!) over 765 minutes. That’s a pretty drastic difference.

Bratt’s impact might be even more evident when looking at Meier’s offensive numbers.