It seemed like the St. Louis Blues would be all-out sellers ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline, but it turns out they're pursuing the biggest name on the market.
"A new team has entered the chat on Timo Meier, and I'm told that it is the St. Louis Blues," Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday.
"That may be a surprise to some, but it shouldn't be. I'm told that the Blues inquired with the San Jose Sharks earlier this week about Timo Meier after executing the trades for Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly."
St. Louis shipped O'Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, eight days after sending Tarasenko to the New York Rangers. The Blues currently have three 2023 first-round picks after those deals, along with two 2023 third-rounders and a pair of second-rounders in 2024.
This isn't an unprecedented strategy from St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. He acquired a first-round pick in February 2018 when he traded Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets, then included that selection in the package he sent to the Buffalo Sabres for O'Reilly that July.
Armstrong also landed a first-rounder by trading Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals in February 2017, then sent the pick to the Philadelphia Flyers to acquire forward Brayden Schenn four months later.
Numerous suitors for Meier reportedly emerged in recent weeks, including the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights. The Rangers apparently considered him their top target before reeling in Tarasenko.
Meier has 31 goals and 21 assists over 57 games for the Sharks in 2022-23. The 26-year-old Swiss star is on pace for a career-high 43 tallies over an 80-game pace, having missed just one game this season.
St. Louis is projected to have approximately $6.75 million in cap space at the deadline, according to CapFriendly. Meier, a pending restricted free agent, is playing out the final season of a four-year contract carrying a $6-million average annual value.
The Blues are in the midst of a disappointing season, but Meier would bolster a relatively young core of St. Louis forwards alongside Jordan Kyrou (24) and Robert Thomas (23).
