What the Timo Meier trade means for the rebuilding of the San Jose Sharks

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

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

“We’re trying to turn this thing around as quickly as possible, but also get the right people in and make the right moves and not rush,” Grier said. “You can see what we’ve done with our young players down with the Barracuda. It’s kind of a roadmap. It’s a retool, rebuilt… I’ll leave that to (the media) to put whatever word on it.

The three key players in the return are Shakir Mukhamadullin, a divisive defensive prospect who was selected in the first round in 2020, a first-round pick (likely in 2023) and a second-round pick that could be a first (likely in 2024). . Striker Fabian Zetterlund and defender Nikita Okhotiuk are young players who could play directly for San Jose.

Veteran forward Andreas Johnsson will also join the Sharks. He’s in the deal to make the salary cap work for New Jersey. Johnsson was sent to the AHL for much of this season and is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Grier hinted at other offerings more focused on draft picks. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported the Sharks turned down offers from two other teams. One of them contained a first, a second and a top candidate. The other was a first, a recent first rounder and a mid-tier prospect.

“I think this speeds up the process,” Grier said. “There were some scenarios where I could have reversed all the choices. We think the players we’ve got back are far enough along the development path to help us out soon.

“It’s not easy to say goodbye to someone like Timo, but the assets we’ve been given in this deal are really pushing things forward.”

The immediate reaction to the swap hasn’t been 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.

Delivering one of the best players in the league to 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 how feelings about this transaction are aging.

When the devils drafted him, there was a lot of discussion about how good Mukhamadullin actually is and what his ceiling might be. He was one of the most talked about and scrutinized players at the World Junior Championships as he recorded heavy minutes for Russia.

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

He doesn’t have the name-brand value of players like Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz or Simon Nemec with the Devils in February 2023, Matthew Knies with the Toronto Maple Leafs or Jimmy Snuggerud with the St. Louis Blues – all teams reportedly interested in Meier at some point during the trial.

“We really like the player,” Grier said. “You don’t find many 6-4 (defenders) who are mobile and can defend, but can also add some offensive. … I think there is a lot of advantage in this boy.

Zetterlund, 23, has six goals and 20 points in 45 appearances for the Devils. He’s a “competitive asshole” who had a productive AHL season a year ago and has become a regular for New Jersey this year. Okhotiuk, 22, is a defensive first back who likes to hit people and could be an NHL regular as a third pair playing on the penalty kill.

But this deal, and the direction of the franchise, will rock for the Sharks on what happens from here. Grier commented several times during media meetings following the trade 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 now. He said they don’t want to “keep their wheels turning”.

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

The Sharks need more dynamic young players to build around. They need more flexibility in future salary limits.

Grier said he recognizes it may be easier to trade Karlsson in the off-season, but he would be open to doing one before the March 3 deadline. That’s probably the next big domino to fall.

Between Meier and Brent Burns, the Sharks’ freshman general manager has now removed two of the club’s five core players from the past four seasons. San Jose is about to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth straight season, the longest stretch in franchise history.

This is uncharted territory for San Jose in more ways than one. The Sharks have never made such a trade. They have never traded a player of this caliber in the prime of his career. Ever.

This franchise has spent three decades adding, not subtracting, players like Meier. Here’s a list of the top players San Jose has traded for, in order, going 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 bought back Evgeni Nabokov late in his career and even traded for the rights of Mark Messier, though that was just to exercise a loophole in the CBA when it came to draft pick compensation.

There are a handful of current and future Hall of Fame members on that list, and a significant percentage of the most influential players in franchise history. The list of players the Sharks traded for Sunday is nowhere close to being matched.

The best players on it – Igor Larionov, Owen Nolan, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns were all well past their primes. Jonathan Cheechoo was traded for Heatley. Devin Setoguchi was traded for Burns.

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

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

Together with a top-five draft pick in the 2023 class (and maybe 2024 at the very least), they could form the basis of the next great Sharks team. That could take years.

Grier believes the collection of young players and prospects he’s been given for Meier will help speed up the process, but that doesn’t mean more pain and lots of losses won’t follow.

“I’m excited about what we’ve been able to do here as staff,” Grier said. “When you subtract players like (Burns and Meier) it’s always tough. I think we’ve done a good job of adding to the prospect pool with last year’s draft and the changes we’ve made.

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

(Photo: Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)