What Timo Meier’s trade means for the San Jose Sharks rebuild – The Athletic

Mike Grier still doesn’t believe this is a full rebuild, but Timo Meier’s trade is a stark reminder that this likely won’t be a quick and painless process for the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks sent Meier, who has 66 goals since the start of last season, to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in a large, complex trade involving nine players and four draft picks.

“We’re trying to turn this thing around as quickly as possible, but also invite the right people in and make the right moves and not rush it,” Grier said. “You can see what we’ve done with our young players below with the Barracuda. It’s kind of a phased plan. It’s a refit, a rebuild… I’ll leave that to (the media) to say whatever you want.”

The three key figures on the return are Shakir Mukhamadullin, a controversial defender who was first-round picked in 2020, a first-round pick (likely 2023) and a second-rounder who can become a first-rounder (likely 2024). . Forward Fabian Zetterlund and defender Nikita Okhotiuk are youngsters who could play for San Jose right away.

Experienced forward Andreas Johnsson will also join the Sharks. He’s in business to make the New Jersey salary cap work. Sent to the AHL for much of this season, Johnsson is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Grier hinted at other offers that were more focused on draft picks. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported The Sharks turned down offers from two other teams. One contained a first, second, and top prospect. The other was a first, a new first-rounder, and a mid-range prospect.

“I think that speeds up the process,” Grier said. “There were some scenarios out there where I could have just taken back all the picks. We believe that the players we brought back are far enough along the development path that they will be able to help us soon.

“It’s not easy parting ways with someone like Timo, but the assets we’ve received through this deal really move things forward.”

The immediate reaction to the trade wasn’t particularly positive, whether from fans or media members on social media. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman liked San Jose’s return more than the initial consensus.

Leaving one of the best players in the league in his position is never a recipe for “winning” a trade. Mukhamadullin’s development will be a big part of both San Jose’s future and the age of feelings about this transaction.

When the Devils called him up, there was a lot of debate about how good Mukhamadullin actually is and what his limit might be. He was one of the most talked about and scrutinized players at the World Junior Championships as he racked up difficult minutes for Russia.

“Personally, I think[Mukhamadullin]is going to be a great NHL player,” said Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald. “But that’s the cost of doing business and giving up a prospect like that. Yes, his name isn’t (Luke) Hughes or (Simon) Nemec of the recent drafts, but he’s still an everyday NHL player who we think will finish in the top four.”

He doesn’t carry the brand equity in February 2023 of players like Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz, or Simon Nemec with the Devils, Matthew Knies with the Toronto Maple Leafs, or Jimmy Snuggerud with the St. Louis Blues — all teams who reportedly had an interest in Meier at some point during the process.

“We really like the player,” said Grier. “You don’t find too many 6-4 (defenders) who are mobile and can defend but also add some offense. … I think this kid has a lot of advantages.”

Zetterlund, 23, has six goals and 20 points in 45 games for the Devils. He’s a “competitive jerk” who had a productive AHL season a year ago and became a regular for New Jersey this year. Okhotiuk, 22, is a defense-first linebacker who likes to hit people and as a third pair could be an NHL regular who plays penalty shootouts.

But that deal and the direction of the franchise for the Sharks will depend on what happens from here. Grier repeatedly noted in a media meeting after the swap that Meier and Erik Karlsson are having excellent seasons, but the team’s place in the standings was the ultimate indicator of where they are right now. He said they don’t want to keep “turning their wheels”.

This is a step backwards with a plan to finally move forward. Grier needs to do more trades like this where the immediate reaction will likely be negative.

The Sharks need more dynamic young players to build around. They need more flexibility on salary caps going forward.

Grier said he acknowledges that it might be easier to make a trade with Karlsson in the off-season, but he would be open to making one before the March 3 deadline. That’s probably the next big domino to fall.

Between Meier and Brent Burns, the Sharks’ first-year general manager has now removed two of the club’s five core players from the past four seasons. San Jose will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight year, the longest stretch in franchise history.

This is new territory for San Jose in more ways than one. The sharks have never made such a bargain. You’ve never traded a player of this caliber in the prime of his career. Always.

This franchise has spent three decades adding players like Meier, not removing them. Here is a list of the top players San Jose has traded for, in order dating back to when the Sharks acquired Doug Wilson from the Blackhawks in September 1991:

It’s a long list of famous names. The Sharks also recaptured Evgeni Nabokov late in his career and even traded him for the rights of Mark Messier, although at the time that was only to exercise a loophole in the CBA dealing with compensation for draft picks.

There are a handful of current and future Hall of Famers on this list, and a significant percentage of the most influential players in franchise history. The list of players the Sharks traded away ahead of Sunday doesn’t even come close to matching it.

The best players – Igor Larionov, Owen Nolan, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns – were all past their prime. Jonathan Cheechoo was traded to Heatley. Devin Setoguchi was traded to Burns.

Now Burns and Meier are gone and Karlsson could also be there between this week and the start of next season. Karlsson, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are all under contract for at least three seasons after this one.

More of them will likely have to land elsewhere before the Sharks compete again for playoff spots and the Stanley Cup. The organization needs Mukhamadullin, William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Filip Bystedt and others to develop into top-flight NHL players.

They, along with a top-five draft pick in the 2023 class (and maybe at least 2024 as well), could lay the foundation for the next big Sharks team. That may take a few more years.

Grier believes the collection of young players and prospects he has received for Meier will help speed up the process, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more pain and plenty of losses ahead.

“I’m thrilled with what we’ve been able to achieve here as employees,” said Grier. “When you pull off players like (Burns and Meier) it’s always difficult. I think we’ve done a good job of filling up the prospect pool with last year’s draft and the changes we made.

“I think it pushed us in the right direction, got us on the right track a little bit quickly to flip this thing.”

(Photo: Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)