I cannot imagine NJ does that without Meier being signed

From what I’m aware of Mercer is not on the table for SJ, even after that Masisak SJ fan fic

Teams are allowed to talk to meier before the trade so I am operating under the assumption they got some type of deal done

source: "trust me bro", that being said this seems fairish, would probably guess if the sharks are getting mercer then its a 2024 pick.

Plus Corey knows much much more about the devils than I ever will lol

“Trust me bro” is essentially what Corey wrote though lol

If Mercer is moved, I just doubt there’s much significance alongside him, given the value of an ELC plus having full RFA years

I also wasn’t a fan of Corey wrapping full retention in there, when the cap moved with AJ is all they need to fit Meier and ice a full roster. Seemed like a waste of a retention slot for SJ in order to drive up value for the article’s sake

Blueger and Kapanen for Sturm and Bonino?

Devils walk away before moving Mercer. I’d do Holtz, Walsh/Mukhamadulin/Casey(one of them) and 2023 1st before moving Mercer any day

I quite like Masisak and really miss him as the Devils beat writer at the Athletic, but 4 out of the 5 packages he suggested in his article today is completely out of touch with reality and the last one (package 5) being a almost unprecedented overpayment, though not as completely bonkers as the first 4.

Masisak (and many fans of any given team looking to sell star wingers) seem to think that deals are created in a vacuum, but they aren't.
Therein lies the single biggest issue with the article, the complete omittance of comparables.
If Masisak thinks these packages are realistic, then why didn't DeBrincat get Batherson + a 1st rd pick + Ridley Greig for example?
Then there is zero discussion on how Meier's ability to pick his next destination (as they'd have to negotiate extension with Meier) limits the number of buyers and thus diminishes the trade value.
Zero discussion on how his QO being higher than his market value gives Meier an egregious amount of leverage against the team he will negotiate against, be it the Sharks or some other.

Masisak seem to think that teams are trading for Matthew Tkachuk in Timo Meier, but they really aren't.
Tkachuk is a top 10 player in the league, Meier might be top 50.
Tkachuk was 24 at the time he was traded, Meier will be 26 if he is traded.
Tkachuk's QO at 9m was way below his market value, Meier's 10m QO is above his market value.

I am little surprised SJS fans haven't been asking for Mercer in more of these ACGMs. But these offers put forth by Masisak are...a bit optimistic for SJS.

1. Mercer, Filmon or Hauser, Johnsson, 2023 1st or 2024 1st
2. Holtz, Mukhamadullin, 2023 1st or 2024 1st
3. Holtz, Casey, Johnsson, 2023 1st, 2024 4th,
4. Mukhamadullin, Filmon or Hauser, Johnsson 2023 1st, 2024 2nd
5. Holtz, Schmid, Johnsson, 2023 1st, 2024 3rd
6. Mercer, Filmon or Hauser, Johnsson, Blackwood, 2023 1st or 2024 1st (for Meier + Reimer)

Maybe something more like....

Mukhamadullin, Filmon, 1st, 3rd

Yes, but Corey spent years as a beat writer for the devils and has more access to intimate NHL knowledge than anyone on this site. However, full retention for the sharks to increase the value from the sharks perspective does make sense given it would only be for a few months and the only other trade candidate we would retain on is probably Bonino.

Chicago isnt/ wasn't interested in NHL ready players or near NHL ready players as they were going hard for Bedard + they got the 7th overall pick. None of these returns are close to what Calgary got for Tkachuk which was a 100pt player and an excellent defenseman. Meiers QO is above is market value but not by much which was mentioned in the article. Also mentions the number of teams interested would drive up the price a little bit. All that being said I think the deal is closer to 2 or 3 other wise I see the sharks just signing meier long term, being bad for one more year and then our cap situation opens up

Didnt he do devils insider work for years? I would think he might know whats on the table well

He was just on the Devils beat for the Athletic. Not much of an insider, just an everyday reporter

That doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t cite any of it, or justify any of it. It’s just purely speculation with little/no basis in actual trade market values. And he wasn’t much of an insider with NJ or anything. He just reported and speculated like he’s doing with SJ.

Yes, I dont disagree or deny that but he will always be closer to both orgs than we will be. I will disagree with the claim there is no/little basis in actual trade market values, all the assets also come with justifications, whether or not you agree with them is a different case. These trades are all significantly less than the tkachuk trade, and around the debrincat trade considering he got the 7th overall pick, and meier is looking like the better player right now. As a side you don't get the reputation Corey has by making stuff up/ missing the mark. As a minimum athletic articles are held to pretty high standards.

Well he probably has a better idea than any of us. No one else in the league is proposing deals

im also operating under the assumption that someone whose job it is to write about hockey has a better idea of things going on in the hockey world than me (some student on this website that enjoys talking about hockey in his free time)

My issue with the athletic in general is they’ve been known to openly publish things on behalf of a team to increase prices or drive up demand. LeBrun in particular has pretty notably reported conflicting information, so I just don’t really trust them as insiders as much as any other beat reporter.
I do miss Corey though. Never loved his articles like the one from today, since they felt the same, but having the constant coverage was nice, and he has a great online presence

Oh I didn't know this!? do you have any articles or anything on it so I can read more, im having trouble finding them

Nothing at my fingertips. Going back years at that point though, so I’m fine with agreeing to disagree because of me not feeling like going digging to support my own claim 😂

I've been only asking for Mercer for months lol... seems like I've been the only Sharks guy to do so until Corey recently.

If they are sincere about retooling (instead of rebuilding) it would make sense from Sharks perspective.

I do genuinely believe sharks management would rather do what the Canucks are doing than rebuild