NHL Rumors: Latest developments with 4 New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have a very busy offseason on their hands. Many moves will be made, and some of them are already in the works.

With the NHL offseason underway, the New Jersey Devils will continue building upon their strong roster. General manager Tom Fitzgerald already completed a beneficial sign-and-trade, receiving a third-round draft pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Damon Severson who would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Next, he locked up Jesper Bratt for eight years with a contract worth $63 million.

Fitzgerald and his front office have a lot of other decisions to make this summer regarding players set to become restricted free agents or unrestricted free agents. Some conversations are already underway while other talks haven’t yet begun. They’ll also consider options from the free agent pool and the trade market based on the team’s needs.

Let’s take a look at the latest Devils offseason developments.

New Jersey Devils Rumors: Timo Meier eight-year deal looks likely

Tom Fitzgerald and Timo Meier’s agent are communicating about a long-term deal for pending RFA. Meier expressed to Fitzgerald that he would like to stay in New Jersey for a long time. Fitzgerald told NHL.com that “the goal is to have Timo Meier in a Devils uniform for the next eight years.” The Devils filed for arbitration with Meier, which buys some more time to keep negotiating prior to arbitration hearings. The Devils would like to lock the winger down long-term this offseason rather than waiting for him to become a UFA next summer.

Meier is an asset as a play-making top-six forward. He was traded to the Devils by the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. Notably, Meier scored 40 goals and had 26 assists during the 2022-23 season. It was his first time reaching 40 goals in one season but his third time reaching the 30-goal threshold. His physical presence is an important element of the team.

Now that the Devils have Jesper Bratt locked up through 2030-31, the focus shifts to Meier as the next priority. New Jersey has a strong core group that features Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes. Meier is expected to join them for the long run as the Devils look to contend for the Stanley Cup.