The Devils have won the Timo Meier sweepstakes.
New Jersey has acquired the star winger from the San Jose Sharks, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reports. The full details of the trade aren't yet known.
Widely considered the best player available on the trade market, Meier is a pending restricted free agent with a cap hit of $6 million. The Devils don't have an extension in place for their newest acquisition, but he'll be due a $10-million qualifying offer to retain his negotiation rights, per LeBrun.
The 26-year-old has 31 goals and 52 points in 57 games this season. Meier is only five tallies away from breaking his previous career high of 35 goals, which he set last campaign.
He hasn't played since Feb. 18 and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Swiss product injects more star power into a squad that already features the likes of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils are one of the top possession teams at five-on-five in the league, ranking among the top three in virtually every key category, including shot attempts for percentage (53.8%), goals for percentage (58.4%), expected goals for percentage (55.3%), and scoring chances for percentage (55.2%), according to Natural Stat Trick.
Despite playing for the struggling Sharks, Meier fits that profile perfectly. San Jose controlled over 50% of the shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger chances with him on the ice, as well as an impressive 57.8% of the expected goals.
The Devils have officially opened their contention window this campaign and are primed to make the playoffs after a four-season drought. They sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 39-15-5 record.
New Jersey is the latest team in the Eastern Conference to take a big swing leading up to the March 3 deadline. The New York Islanders added Bo Horvat, and Ryan O'Reilly joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the New York Rangers picked up Vladimir Tarasenko and are expected to acquire Patrick Kane.
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