Matthew Tkachuk cashed in big due to his trade from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers. The 24-year-old restricted free agent agreed to an eight-year contract with the Panthers worth an average annual value of $9.5 million.
That prompted The Mercury News‘ Curtis Pashelka to wonder if it could become a blueprint for Timo Meier’s next contract. Cap Friendly shows the 25-year-old San Jose Sharks winger becomes a restricted free agent next summer after completing a four-year deal worth an annual cap hit of $6 million. His actual salary for 2022-23 is $10 million, which is what it will cost the Sharks to qualify his rights next summer.
Pashelka observed Meier has 222 total points since 2018-19 compared to Tkachuk’s 285. He suggested that a “monster year” for the skillful Sharks winger could earn him around $1 million less per season than what Tkachuk got from the Panthers.
The Sharks likely won’t pay Meier $10-million annually on his next contract. They’ll attempt to sign him to a more reasonable cap hit on an eight-year deal. If they’re unwilling to do that and decide to trade him, San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng wondered if the Swiss winger would fetch a return similar to what the Flames received for Tkachuk.
Meier doesn’t garner the same level of attention playing in San Jose as Tkachuk did in hockey-mad Calgary nor does he play the same physical style. Nevertheless, monitoring his performance in the coming season and how it affects his contract talks with the Sharks will be worthwhile.
