Insider reveals that Timo Meier's ask on a contract extension is lower than expected

Timo Meier is expected to be one of the top trade deadline targets come March 3rd (or potentially even sooner) and with the Sharks reportedly not having even offered Meier a deal as of yet, the chances that the pending RFA returns to San Jose are appearing pretty slim.

We know from pre-existing reports that the Leafs have checked in on Meier and there's no denying that he'd be an excellent fit and is probably what the Leafs are looking for - a top six LW with an edge to his game and who can help out on the score sheet. We also know that the Leafs could potentially swing a deal for Meier at the deadline and then turn around and flip him at the draft to recoup some assets so they don't lose him for nothing by simply not tendering him a qualifying offer.

The Leafs are not alone, however, in their pursuit of Meier, as Buffalo and Carolina are believed to also be interested. Meier would likely be a long-term fit with both the Sabres and the Canes.

This week, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that Meier's ask is currently more than $9M per season, which is well north of what his current teammate, Tomas Hertl, got from the Sharks nearly 1 year ago ($8.137M per season for 8 seasons). The silver-lining here is that the ask is presumably less than the $10M QO he is eligible to sign this summer.



It's anyone's guess where Meier ultimately lands, but I have to believe that since the salary cap is expected to go up dramatically in a couple of years, Meier will have no problem getting his $9M+ if he takes his 1-year qualifying offer ($10M) and enters the UFA market in the summer of 2024. However, thanks to the minimal increases to the cap over the last couple of years, he may have some trouble reaching that number with any team other than Buffalo if he wants to sign his extension this season/this summer.