The New Jersey Devils announced today that forward Timo Meier is taking a personal leave of absence to tend to a family health matter.
As is customary in situations such as these, no further detail was provided nor was a timeline on Meier’s absence noted. That’s to be expected in situations like these, where the hockey, to be frank, becomes completely secondary to whatever is going on in the player’s off-ice life.
The Devils said in their statement “The entire organization supports Timo and his family and appreciates everyone respecting their privacy at this time.”
While, as mentioned, the hockey implications are secondary in this sort of situation, it is important for us here at PHR to at least take a moment to break down the on-ice ripple effect of Meier’s absence.
The core takeaway is that the Devils’ leading scorer on a points-per-game basis, Jack Hughes, remains out with an injury, so Meier’s leave of absence only further emphasizes the importance of the other key offensive players on the Devils. The unfortunate side effect of this development is that players such as Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and rookie Arseni Gritsyuk now have an even greater level of importance to New Jersey’s efforts in terms of scoring goals.
Meier is in the midst of a strong offensive campaign, ranking third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 23 points in 30 games. He’s a key power forward for the Devils, with at least 50 points in each campaign since arriving in New Jersey.
Meier is slotted in on the Devils’ first line alongside Hischier at the moment, but this development will mean head coach Sheldon Keefe will need to adjust his lineup. It’s possible veteran Ondrej Palat sees a promotion into Meier’s role while Meier is away from the team, or that Keefe elects to more substantially alter his lines beyond just promoting one player.
Again, while the hockey implications of this news might appear important, for the entire Devils organization, the hockey side of things is secondary to supporting Meier as he deals with this family health matter.