NHL Daily: Sharks’ Timo Meier Available; Will Flyers Explore?

All signs point to the Philadelphia Flyers being sellers at the trade deadline, but would general manager Chuck Fletcher get daring for one of the few times in his tenure?

Would he roll the dice and make a play for San Jose’s Timo Meier, a powerful left winger who scored 35 goals last year and is on pace for 45 season?

Meier, 26, plays with a physical style and scores a slew of goals, but he is going to get a hefty contract.

Is Fletcher ready to pursue a marquee player after bypassing on Johnny Gaudreau last summer?

The Sharks, who don’t believe they can re-sign Meier, have made the 6-foot-1, 220-pound winger available. Teams have until the March 3 trade deadline to put an offer together.

Unless he goes earlier. Like star center Bo Horvat did this week.

The New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks opened the door to the NHL’s trade season Monday. They finalized a blockbuster deal in which the Islanders got Horvat for an established player (Anthony Beauvillier), a promising rookie (Aatu Raty) and a conditional first-round draft pick in 2023.

Now the San Jose Sharks are trying to get a big package for the talented Meier.

Sources tell San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng that the Sharks want a similar deal for the Swiss player as the Canucks received for Horvat. One source said San Jose was looking for a first-round pick, and one Grade-A or two Grade B prospects for Meier.

Steep price

They would also reportedly accept a first-rounder, a good prospect, and a young established NHL player. That means if the Philadelphia Flyers were interested, they would probably need to trade a first-rounder (we assume it would be protected if it was in the top 12), and, say, Tyson Foerster, and Morgan Frost.

The Flyers would probably have to throw in James van Riemsdyk to make things work from a cap perspective.

The overall price would be steep, especially when you consider Meier is a pending restricted free agent with a $10 million qualifying offer due. He will probably get in the $9 million-a-year range if he receives an extension.

San Jose has reportedly given teams permission to work out an extension with Meier’s agent before a deal is made.

Meier has a $6 million cap hit this season.

Over the past two seasons, Meier has 63 goals, 14th in the NHL. In that span, he has 553 shots, second in the NHL. In the 2015 draft, the Sharks selected him No. 9 overall — two picks after the Flyers took Ivan Provorov.

Hmmm. I wonder if a Meier-for-Provorov ($6.75 million cap hit for two more seasons beyond this one) deal would work? It seems to make sense for both teams if the Philadelphia Flyers could sign Meier to an extension.

For a potential Meier trade from the Sharks’ perspective, and much more, check out our links below:

Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers have overcome a 10-game losing streak and the absence of three key players who are injured — Sean Couturier, Ryan Ellis, and Cam Atkinson — as they have climbed to “hockey .500” at the All-Star break. I’ve handed out awards  — from the team’s MVP to the most improved player — at the All-Star break. Philadelphia Flyers.

San Jose Hockey Now: High-scoring winger Timo Meier is on the trade block, and the Bo Horvat deal may be a model for the Sharks’ return. San Jose Sharks.

New York Islanders Hockey Now: The Isles are hopeful they can sign Horvat to an extension. What would it look like? New York Islanders.

Boston Hockey Now: With Horvat traded, will the Bruins turn their sights toward acquiring Detroit’s Dylan Larkin? Boston was reportedly among the teams pursuing Horvat. Boston Bruins.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Brian Burke, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations, says GM Ron Hextall is “looking hard” to make a deal. Pittsburgh Penguins.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs got off to a rough start — Ottawa’s sizzling Claude Giroux (20th goal) scored less than three minutes into the game — but overcame a 3-1 deficit and tied the game at 4-4 late in the third. No matter. The Sens’ Brady Tkachuk won it with 78 seconds left in regulation. Montreal Canadiens.

Washington Hockey Now: James van Riemsdyk’s younger brother, Trevor, scored two goals to lead the Caps past host Columbus, 4-3, in overtime. It was the first multi-goal game of his career, and it gave the defenseman a career-high six goals this season. Washington Capitals.