Timo Meier should get another chance with Jack Hughes

The two players didn't seem to mesh early on in Meier's tenure with the Devils. That changed under Sheldon Keefe.

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There’s a perception Timo Meier and Jack Hughes should not, and can not, play together.

There was a time that was true. They admittedly didn’t mesh well for the first year and change of Meier’s Devils tenure. That no longer appears to be the case.

While they didn’t spend a ton of time together in their first season under Sheldon Keefe, the results were not just good, but great, when they did.

In fact, they were even better – noticeably so – than when Meier played alongside the captain.

Night and day 🌑☀️

Meier and Hughes left a lot to be desired with their play under Lindy Ruff and/or Travis Green.

From the day of Meier’s acquisition through the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Meier and Hughes underwhelmed at 5v5.

They weren’t objectively bad, per se, but certainly didn’t garner the results you’d expect from two star players earning $8 million or more per season.

They controlled 54.27% of the shot attempts, 50.46% of the expected goals, and were outscored by five over 276 minutes of work. The goaltending behind them was bad and played a part in losing on the scoreboard. Even so, the outputs were not good enough.

Meier only produced 1.52 points per 60 minutes alongside Hughes. It wasn’t as if he at least found success individually and gave any reason to keep the duo together.

We saw a massive change last season under Sheldon Keefe.

Meier’s numbers improved significantly across the board. He averaged 1.16 goals and 2.71 points per 60 minutes of 5v5 play with Hughes, which are elite rates.

His ixG number also rose from 0.92 to 1.20, a clear increase that indicates the production spike was no fluke.

The on-ice numbers the duo managed were also night and day to what they produced under previous coaching staffs.