New Jersey Devils right wing Timo Meier. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Devils spend big on Timo Meier to keep Stanley Cup window open

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 6/28/23

Not many saw the New Jersey Devils improbable run to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs coming.

The team had an underwhelming 27-46-9 record the previous season and Lindy Ruff was on the hot seat after winning just 46 combined games in his first two seasons as head coach.

But now, New Jersey appears to be right in the middle of its Stanley Cup window, and after re-signing forward Timo Meier to an eight-year, $70.4 million extension, it’s clear the Devils are in win-now mode.

“We were excited to acquire Timo at the deadline, but it’s an even greater feeling knowing that he’ll be here for the next eight seasons,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said, via New Jersey Hockey Now. “Timo realized, and I always believed, that this is the right place for him as a player and a person. We’ve locked up another piece of our young core that is looking to take that next step together for greater success.”

Fresh off a new contract extension, why don't we remind @NJDevils fans what they should get used to seeing from Timo Meier? pic.twitter.com/Cok4Wdwm6F
— NHL (@NHL) June 28, 2023

With Meier locked down for the better part of the next decade, the Devils now have four key members of their core (Meier, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt) under contract through the 2026-27 season. All are 26 or younger.

A fifth member of that core, Dawson Mercer, will be a restricted free agent after next season and it’s expected, he too, will be given a long-term contract.

While New Jersey’s window is clearly open — and will be for at least the next five years — it’s not without its price. The Devils have eight players under contract next season with a cap hit of $4 million or greater and they have six players with a cap hit of $6 million or more for the next four seasons, per CapFriendly.

It’s still uncertain when the NHL salary cap will go back up, and how much it will rise when it does, so committing more than 60 percent of its cap space to a little over one-third of its active roster is a bit of a gamble for New Jersey.

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