The Devils acquired San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier in a blockbuster trade Sunday.
New Jersey also landed left wing Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, goaltender Zachary Emond and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In exchange, the Devils sent their 2023 first-round pick (conditional) and two 2024 selections — a conditional second-rounder and a seventh-rounder.
New Jersey also gave the Sharks four players — defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotiuk and left wings Andreas Johnsson and Fabian Zetterlund.
As part of the trade, San Jose retains 50% of Meier’s salary.
Meier, 26, has 52 points on 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games as a seventh-year pro on the 2022-23 NHL season.
“At the end of the day, when you talk about a player like this, the assets that are going out are going to be missed,” said Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald. “But you need to give to get, and we really wanted to land Timo Meier.”
The Sharks signed Meier to a four-year, $24 million contract on July 1, 2019. Meier becomes a restricted free agent after the season, with a $10 million qualifying offer this summer.
“When you look at your roster and you’re trying to add talent — want to get bigger up front, certain areas — it’s not a necessity, but playoff hockey’s a different animal, it really is,” Fitzgerald said. “So the war of attrition, the little battles … that’s real. … So just being able to sustain that as a player and bring somebody in with experience is just something we really wanted to add and help educate our group. But I think the most important thing is he’s 26 years old — and being able to grow together, I think, is vital.”
In 451 games with the Sharks from 2016-23, Meier totaled 316 points on 154 goals and 162 assists. Meier, from Switzerland, was the 2015 NHL Draft’s No. 9 overall pick.
