New Jersey Devils notes: On Meier's extension, Hellebuyck, and more

I shared thoughts on Meier's new deal, the Devils lurking for Hellebuyck, and a target for the team's first pick of the draft.

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A few quick notes as we head into the second and final day of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft:

Timo Time is here to stay

At $8.8 million per season, Timo Meier commanded a little more money than I expected. It wasn’t surprising to see him healthily pass Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, though.

As I recently wrote, Meier’s camp had a lot of bargaining power in negotiations. Meier is an elite goal scorer – those cost a lot! – who brings a rare combination of skill, speed, and force to the table.

He is one of the best high-danger chance generators in the league and exactly the kind of guy you want surrounded by high-end facilitators like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.

Meier also had a lot of leverage in that a) he carried a mouthwatering QO in his back pocket; b) free agency was only a year away and; c) Tom Fitzgerald traded a lot of assets to get Meier.

Fitzgerald obviously didn’t do that with the intention or walking away over a few hundred thousand, forcing him to move Meier elsewhere and then go shopping again for a top line winger in his 20s who also possesses bite (there aren’t many and they’re awfully expensive).

I’m not sure the last couple of years will be great given power forwards tend to age less gracefully but this was a deal Fitzgerald was right to make.

As our own CJ Turtoro astutely pointed out, the Devils are about to head into a four-year window where each of their four elite forwards will be under 30 and making less than they’re worth (or could’ve gotten elsewhere). Exciting times.

Could Trade Tom strike again?