Devils Need Meier To Start Strong in 2024-25

The New Jersey Devils can't afford having Timo Meier start slow as he did a season ago.

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It was a tale of two seasons for Timo Meier in 2023-24. A slow start, injuries, and underperformance marred the first half of his campaign — his first full one with the New Jersey Devils. He wasn't the main reason the Devils never got off the ground, but it didn't help.

That's why Meier cannot get off to a slow start this coming season. Coming out of the gate hot will be crucial for the Devils as a team, as banking points early on can make all the difference later in the season. But no player needs a hot start (maybe other than Dawson Mercer) than Meier to begin 2024-25.

Meier Rebounded From Slow Start in 2023-24

Even when watching Meier last preseason, he didn't look like himself. His skating wasn't where it usually was, but there wasn't reason to be concerned. Power forwards like him don't always have the quickest start to a season anyway.

But Meier's slow start quickly turned into concern. He totaled just nine goals and 15 points across his first 28 games, and there was a nine-game stretch from Dec. 1 to Dec. 19 where he went without a point. However, that nine-game stretch came after he left with what turned out to be double MCL injuries he suffered against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 14.

That's less than ideal for a player who relies on his skating to do the heavy lifting in transition, and it showed. Meier had some prolonged struggles after returning from his injury, too, recording 11 points in 29 games.

All the rage on social media about Meier's struggles was toward former head coach Lindy Ruff playing Meier at left wing instead of right, which many believed to be his preferred side. But that wasn't what was ailing Meier. He just wasn't healthy.

That started to change right around the time Travis Green took over as interim coach for Ruff, so I know how it looks. But Meier looked the Meier everyone expected at the start of the season.

The Devils' playoff hopes were as good as dead by the time Meier got going, but having him play well was still important. He finished with 18 goals and 30 points in his final 26 games — a 50-goal, 94-point pace. He may have shot 19.8 percent during that stretch, but he also fired 91 shots on goal. That's key because his schtick offensively is being a high-volume shooter, so it appears he regained his form.

Meier was the Devils' second-most efficient five-on-five shooter across his final 26 games, averaging 10.37 shots on goal per 60 minutes. He averaged 2.48 points per 60 over that stretch, so the scoring followed.

The Devils need Meier to look like that to start this coming season. Producing at a 50-goal, 94-point pace is probably unreasonable since that doesn't line up with his career averages, but he was a 40-goal scorer in 2022-23. So how do the Devils get him to start hot in 2024-25?