Timo Meier is a Swiss hockey player who plays for the San Jose Sharks in the NHL. He is considered to be a valuable asset to the team due to his versatility, as he can play center, wing, and defense. Recently, Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was seen watching Meier in action. The game showcased why he is so valuable, as he scored a goal and recorded an assist. He also impressed with his strong defensive play and physicality. Meier’s performance was even more impressive given that the Sharks were without key players such as Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Overall, Timo Meier’s impressive performance shows why he is so valuable to the San Jose Sharks.
With all eyes on him, including those of Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier delivered another outstanding performance on Tuesday.
Meier showed why he’s the NHL’s most eligible player before the March 3 deadline by notching five shots at the net, a couple of hits, two takeaways, two power play points and the overtime winner when the Sharks came back around Beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 at Amalie Arena.
Meier actually had a chance to win the game for the Sharks (16-25-11) at the end of regulation time. But his attempt to escape just over a minute in the third period went wide of the bar. A second shot attempt by Meier around 50 seconds later whistled just wide of the net.
Still, Meier now has 51 points in 52 games, and his goal at the 2:19 mark of overtime after a nice pass from Erik Karlsson helped him hit the 30-goal plateau for the third time in seven NHL seasons. Along with Patrick Marleau (7), Joe Pavelski (5) and Logan Couture (3), he is the only Sharks player to score more than twice 30 goals in a season.
“He played great,” Sharks defenseman Scott Harrington said of Meier. “We needed our big boys to stand up and guide us when we weren’t playing well and I thought he did a great job with that.
“I thought Erik obviously had a great game again and then (Kaapo Kahkonen). Those weren’t the only guys to get promoted, but those guys definitely made a difference for us.”
The Jets (32-19-1) are among teams that could have a significant interest in Meier.
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has pointed out, the Jets are an organization looking to sign on tenure players as they fear – and perhaps rightly so – that they might pay a hefty price on a loan only to see this one player goes free after the playoffs are over. See Kevin Hayes in 2019.
Meier is a pending restricted free agent remaining under team control for one more season. His current four-year, $24 million contract includes a qualifying offer of $10 million for next season, but an agreement to extend the contract can always be reached in advance.
Winnipeg already has plenty of scoring punch with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Jets also net potential Norris Trophy contender Josh Morrissey on the blue line and 2020 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. Meier’s former Halifax Mooseheads teammate, Nikolaj Ehlers, is also at Winnipeg.
This is a group that can cause damage in April and May. Meier, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound winger who scored 15 points in 20 playoff games in the Sharks’ final playoff run in 2019, could be a key addition in helping the Jets emerge from a treacherous to come out of Central Division.
Sharks GM Mike Grier was also at Tuesday’s game and may have encountered Cheveldayoff and exchanged pleasantries sometime during the evening. Who knows?
Last but not least, the Jets could become another team to enter the Meier Sweepstakes, which could only help Grier maximize its returns.
Not that Sharks coach David Quinn would be willing to see a change from Meier or Karlsson. While Karlsson may not be dealt on or before March 3, it would come as a surprise if Meier stayed at San Jose for the final six weeks of the season.
“I know everyone is talking about the possibilities of what could happen,” Quinn said. “They are committed to our organization, they are committed to victory. I enjoyed training them, I hope they don’t go anywhere.
“That says a lot about their professionalism, the way they go about their business. They are two superstars.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com
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