Meier insinuates that he could indeed talk extension with whichever team trades for him
Elliotte Friedman recently made mention to the fact that the San Jose Sharks may allow teams who are interested in Timo Meier to talk about a contract extension. He was quoted as saying "I knew that teams, if there's a trade, teams are gonna want to talk extension. It just makes sense," adding fuel to the fire that perhaps a trade will occur and that negotiations have gone nowhere.
It's a fire sale in San Jose and it seems like anyone is up for grabs - including their best players. The rebuilding Sharks have a lot of money tied up in heavy contracts and would like to push the reset button and that starts with Timo Meier and potentially star defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Undoubtedly their most prized possession heading into the trade deadline, the former first round selection has been lighting it up for a down-trodden teams and with an expiring contract to his name - an RFA to boot - he becomes that much more valuable.
Meier will be one of the biggest draws ahead of the March 3rd trade deadline and now it's being reported that the Sharks could allow any interested team to talk contract extension with the upcoming RFA. That only increases his value as the 26 year old is coming off of a 35 goal season in 2021-22 and currently has 26 goals in only 46 games this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been snooping around and a trade makes sense for both sides. In terms of an extension that's where it gets tricky. Auston Matthews and William Nylander are due for a new contract at the end of the 2023-24 season. Even with the salary cap supposedly spiking, it's going to be very difficult for the Leafs to keep them both.
Matthews will be commanding more than the $11.64 million he currently carries, perhaps up to as much as $15M per season, and Nylander - who keeps getting better and better - will be in line for a bigger pay day than the current $6.96 million he currently carries, likely upwards of $10M per season.
The Leafs could look to Meier as a safety net in the off chance that Nylander walks or they can't find common ground. Meier could look to sign an 8-year deal worth somewhere around $8.5M-$9M and that could be less than what the market dictates for not only Meier himself but Nylander as well.
Both players are relatively similar, as Meier has 149 goals and 310 points in 440 games from 2016-2023, whereas Nylander has 161 goals and 394 points in 485 games from 2015-2023. Nylander has the upper hand in the playoffs however with 13 goals and 30 points in 39 games compared to Meier's 7 goals and 20 points in 35 games. The difference being San Jose hasn't made the playoffs since 2019 when Meier and the Sharks advanced to the Conference finals. He scored 15 points along the way. He is also much more physical and can be an agitator and an aggressor, whereas Nylander plays a little more passively and is less likely to lay the body.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 21 | 183 ANSWERS Meier insinuates that he could indeed talk extension with whichever team trades for him Should the Leafs target Timo Meier on a long-term deal as insurance in case William Nylander walks as a UFA? | ||
| Yes | 135 | 73.8 % |
| No | 48 | 26.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
