Likely the top trade target is off the board, as Timo Meier has been shipped from the San Jose Sharks to the New Jersey Devils in a blockbuster deal. Overall, the Devils sent two first-rounders, one in 2023 and the other in 2024 (conditional), forward Andreas Johnsson and prospects Shakir Mukhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund and Nikita Okhotiuk to San Jose. For that haul, the Sharks gave up Meier, defenceman Scott Harrington and prospects Timur Ibragimov, Santeri Hatakka and Zach Emond.

Meier is under team control for at least the next year. He's a pending restricted free agent with a $10 million qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season. Given the price paid it's fair to expect the Devils to view this as more than a rental, despite no extension guarantee in place. The 26-year-old has 31 goals and 21 assists in 57 games this season. Meier set career highs last season of 35 goals and 41 assists for 76 points in 77 games, he is on pace to surpass the goals mark this season. The Swiss winger has reached the 30-goal mark in three of the last five seasons. Across seven seasons in the NHL all with San Jose, Meier totalled 316 career points (154 goals and 162 assists) in 451 games. The 6'1", 220 lbs. His 316 career points rank 10th all-time in San Jose's franchise history, while his 154 goals rank ninth.

The 2024 first-rounder turns into New Jersey’s second-round pick if the Devils fail to reach the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals (and Meier plays in at least 50% of playoff games in 2023) or the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. If New Jersey's first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft is a top 10 selection, New Jersey will have the option to instead transfer its own first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to San Jose. San Jose will retain 50% of Meier's 2022-23 salary as part of the trade.

Harrington has spent the majority of 2022-23 with the Sharks, scoring one goal and six assists in 28 contests. In 238 career NHL regular-season games, he scored eight goals and 37 assists for 45 points. Hatakka has two assists in eight games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this season. He skated in nine games with the parent club last year, for his first taste of NHL action. Ibragimov spent this season in Wichita (ECHL) where he has notched 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 52 games. Emond has played four games in Wichita, going 3-1-0 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage.

Johnsson spent three years with New Jersey, spending most of this season in Utica where he scored nine goals and 20 assists in 36 games. Mukhamadullin was one of New Jersey's three first-round selections, 20th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft and is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL). Okhotiuk played in 15 career games over two seasons in New Jersey, with two goals, and one assist for three points. He split time between New Jersey and Utica (AHL) this year. He was the Devils second-round selection, 61st overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. Zetterlund has spent the entire year with the Devils, having six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 45 games. He was New Jersey's third-round selection, 63rd overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft.

The Devils sit second in the Metro division, three points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes. New Jersey seems set to return to the playoffs for the first time since they were knocked out of the first round in 2018. The Sharks meanwhile sit second to last in the Pacific division and the trade of Meier seems to signal a rebuild is nigh. Overall, I like this deal for New Jersey with the Islanders and Bruins already making moves, there is no time like the present to get your guy. On top of this New Jersey feels like a team that could make a run come playoff time (didn’t expect to say that at the start of the season). For San Jose, it seems like a good haul and Meier wasn’t in their long-term plans, but it will be at least a year or two before we can really see how this deal works out for them.