Two Atlantic Division rivals attempting to slide in and swipe Leafs top trade target
Timo Meier is arguably the biggest name on the trade market as we inch closer and closer to the NHL's trade deadline on the 3rd of March. Usually rebuilding or purgatory-stuck teams wouldn't be interested in a player like that because it would cost them a lot of assets they're trying to build around or use for the betterment of their future.
However when it comes to Meier it's a little different this year. Almost every team in the NHL has some interest in the 26 year old forward and several teams who are not even close to playoff contention, let alone being contenders, have expressed real interest. Enter the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.
Meier is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, his qualifying offer would stand at 10 million dollars, but if teams are looking for a contract extension it would range between 8.5-9 million. He has 151 goals and 312 points in 445 career games for a San Jose team that is only just starting to rebuild with expensive contracts everywhere you look.
He scored 35 goals and 76 points in 77 games last season and currently has 28 goals and 48 points heading into the All-Star weekend. Teams like the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins have been sniffing around his services, sitting atop of the NHL standings, however other teams might want to look to acquire him as the focal point of their rebuilds and retools.
He's only 26 years old, he might cost an arm an a leg to extend but teams like Montreal, Buffalo, and Detroit have the cap space to make that work. They also have the assets that San Jose is looking to acquire to jumpstart their own rebuild.
The Canadiens have young players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky that could blend well with Meier. Detroit will be looking to extend Dylan Larkin but also have players like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. While Buffalo has Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dahlin, and Owen Power.
It would be a foolhardy move maybe for the Canadiens because they seem so far from returning to form but the Red Wings could use him as they look to jumpstart their playoff push. Contract negotiations have stalled a little between brass and Larkin so Meier could be seen as a safety net if things boil over.
Either way, worst case scenario for either team is that they will at least own his negotiating rights heading into the summer with ample cap space on hand. Something that contending teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs should be wary about with only a month remaining.
