I don’t think anybody will be paying 2023 first round picks to dump contracts. Maybe a future pick(s).

The Devils wouldn't trade Mercer for Meier one for one, let alone add that absolute haul to it.
No way man.

Sure!! Buffalo declines

Take out the first and MAYBE Buffalo thinks about it and comes back with less

Ott is mot using a top 10 pick to move a great buyout candidate, they pass with extreme prejudice

This may be the most extreme Meier trade I've seen in quite a while, totally wild.

How many teams legitimately have the cap room for Meier long term to extend him that SJS could work with? SJS want to QO him and then trade him? Their leverage shifts even worse as Meier can essentially name his teams. He's not just extending anywhere.

Why would buffalo do this? We are up to the rafters with forwards. The winger market is super weak right now. I would imagine that if buffalo is looking for any forwards, they would be power forwards, we have tuch, Thompson, and cozens that have size in our top 9, and not much else. Plus, again, even if there was a fit in buffalo (there's not), the cost here is way too high.

Sharks are giving up a 3rd rounder as well, so it's only downgrading from a first...but honestly, I didn't realize that Ottawa was so low in the standings this year! I had thought they were a playoff team this year...why are their fans talking about cap management when they still aren't competitive?



Meier is an elite power forward. He's the kind of secondary support championship teams need. Mercer is a solid young player, but I think he tops out as more of a great 2nd-line player, and he's a bit superfluous on the Devils...they already have Hughes and Hischier down the middle going forwards. Trading from a position of strength to fill a weakness is a classic contender move.

It's fine if you think there's a window mismatch, but this is the kind of trade contending teams do all the time.



There are a lot of conditions on the picks. The most Buffalo would give up is a 1st and 2nd in 2023 as well as a 2nd in 2024 if they win the cup in 2023 and make the conference finals in 2024. The least they would give up is a 2nd in 2023 and a 3rd in 2024 if they don't make the conference finals in both years.



Fair enough if they have enough wingers (a Buffalo fan elsewhere posted about interest in Barabanov), but I don't think the price is too high when you figure in all the pick conditions.