NHL Update: Timo Meier is Now a Devil, Patrick Kane and How He will Affect the Rangers, and More

On February 26th, Timo Meier became a Devil and Fabian Zetterlund became a Shark. Here are the trade specifics: 

Devils Receive:                                                                 Sharks Receive:

Timo Meier (Left Winger)                                              Fabian Zetterlund (Left Winger)

Scott Harrington (Defensemen)                                     Shakir Mukhamadullin (Defensemen)

Santeri Hatakka (Defensemen)                                      Nikita Okhotiuk (Denfensemen) 

Timur Ibragimov (Left Winger)                                    Andreas Johnsson (Left Winger)

Zach Emond (Goalie)                                                      2023 1st-Round Pick 

2024 5th-Round Pick (Originally The Avalanches)      2024 1st-Round Pick *

                                                                                           2024 7th-Round pick

* → Conditional Pick: The 2024 1st-Round Pick will be included in the deal if the Devils reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023 and Meier plays in half the games OR the Devils reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024.

The 9th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Timo Meier currently has 52 points and 31 goals. The Devils now have two elite goal scorers (Jack Hughes and Timo Meier) in the top 15 in the entire league in goals scored. Meier is an electric forward with an expansive amount of skills, ranging from shooting and playmaking to high hockey IQ, and defensive/physical play. This is a massive addition to an already dominant offense. The Devils are filled with youth and skill on offense and on the blue line, as well as great coaching and management that is in it to win it this season and beyond. Meier will make his debut soon, with only a mild upper-body injury delaying his first game action as a Devil.  The Devils are finally back to their winning ways.  It’s TIMO TIME!

On March 1st, in a three-team deal, Patrick Kane became a Ranger while the Blackhawks received defensive help and a small number of picks, and the Coyotes acquired a pick as well:

Rangers Receive:                                  Coyotes Receive:                           Blackhawks Receive:

Patrick Kane (Left Winger)       2025 3rd-Round Pick (Rangers)*     2023 2nd-Round Pick *

Cooper Zech (Defensemen)                                                                        2025 4th-Round Pick

                                                                                                           Vili Saarijarvi (Defensemen)

                                                                                                          Andy Welinski (Defensemen)

* → Conditional Picks: If the Rangers win two playoff rounds this year, the second-round pick to the Blackhawks will become a first-round pick in either 2024 or 2025.  The conditions tied to the pick that the Coyotes obtained have not yet been reported to the public.

The 1st-Round Pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, Patrick Kane currently has 45 points and 16 goals. Though Patrick Kane is not the same player he was back in his Stanley Cup-winning days, Kane is still a force to be reckoned with, especially now that he’s on a better team with more skilled players (Artemi Panarin for example). Kane will be playing with Panarin on the first line so that they can reconnect and spark that chemistry back when they were in Chicago together. The most impactful thing about Kane on the Rangers will likely be the effect that Kane has on the Rangers’ powerplay. The first powerplay line of the Rangers will consist of five high-powered scoring players, giving the Rangers the chance to score on every single man advantage! This trade likely cements the Rangers as a top 6 seed playoff team. But with teams like the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Devils growing stronger and stronger as the season progresses, will this acquisition be a difference maker to help them power through these teams – or will the Rangers once again be a Stanley Cup pretender and exit after 1-2 rounds of action? 

Here are some other notable trades that have occurred during this season’s trade deadline (January 30th – March 3rd): 

Tyler Bertuzzi to the Bruins

Jakob Chychrun to the Senators

Shayne Gostisbehere to the Hurricanes

Jesse Puljujärvi to the Hurricanes

Max Domi to the Stars

Jakob Voracek to the Coyotes 

Mattias Ekholm to the Oilers 

Jake McCabe to the Maple Leafs 

Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers

Ryan O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs 

Jakub Vrana to the Blues 

Dmitry Orlov to the Bruins 

It’s going to be an exciting playoff this season!  Which of the above moves will ultimately be the one that helps a team win the most difficult trophy to capture in all of sport – the Stanley Cup?  Tune in April 17th when the playoff games begin!