When the New Jersey Devils traded for Timo Meier in February of 2023, he seemed like he’d be a perfect match alongside Jack Hughes. He’s big, physical, and capable of scoring 40 goals in a season.
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While both players have individually found a lot of success, the numbers show that when they’re together, they’re a bit of a mixed bag. Let’s take a look.
The Meier & Hughes Connection (Even Strength)
According to MoneyPuck, the duo played 117.8 minutes together at even strength in the 2024-25 season – just 10.9% of their total combined minutes. Despite that, they were dominant when together, scoring 4.26 goals per 60 minutes (GF/60) and allowing just 1.55 per 60 (GA/60).
The underlying numbers back up their stellar play, as they held an impressive 62.15% of the expected goals share (xGF% – via Natural Stat Trick). The eye test can be a little unconvincing, which has caused a misconception that they flat out don’t work together. Since they both possess a shoot-first mentality, they aren’t always in sync. Their passes are sometimes off the mark, which can negate prime scoring opportunities. This is evidenced by a ~14% decrease in high danger chances compared to when they’re separated.
However: when paired, they hold a higher share of the overall scoring chances and are ~19% better defensively, making them an overall huge net positive. Furthermore, Meier’s tough playstyle helps protect Hughes, who has played over 62 games just once in the last four seasons.
With time and comfort, they should only improve on their already-stellar numbers. They’re too talented not to.
The Meier & Hughes Connection (Power Play)
On the contrary, the power play has been rather ugly when they’ve both been deployed on it. While fans clamored for Meier to become a mainstay alongside Hughes, the numbers don’t lie:
When they were together in just over 45 minutes of PP1 time, the Devils scored just 6.62 GF/60. They held just 83.33% of the goal share despite being up a man.
When they were separate, the numbers skyrocketed. When Hughes was on PP1 without Meier, they scored 11.3 GF/60, a ~71% increase, and surrendered just one shorthanded goal in ~143 minutes. Once Hughes went down with injury on Mar. 2, the results became even more impressive. They went on to score 16.86 GF/60 with Meier on PP1 — a ~155% increase from when him and Hughes were together.
Even from when Hughes was without Meier, that’s still a ~49% increase. Let’s be realistic, though. For as long as Hughes is a Devil, he should (and will) remain on PP1. So, that is where the debate comes in.
A) Do the Devils leave Meier on a less capable PP2 unit, despite clearly having the talent to become a PP1 mainstay? (Meier had 3 PP goals in 61 games while primarily on PP2, then had 5 in 19 games after Hughes’ injury)
B) Do the Devils trot out Meier and Hughes together on PP1, hoping they work out?
In his end of season presser, The Hockey Writers asked head coach Sheldon Keefe for his insight into the situation. “I think Timo, the way he stepped up for our group at the end of the season was tremendous,” Keefe said. “It shows that he’s a versatile guy that we can use in different spots, so we’ll always be looking at that. A big part of it is with Jack and Bratt, they play those flanks and do a tremendous job of it. They’re elite at it. [Similarly] Timo does a lot of his best work there, with his finishing ability in that flank. We tried him in different spots and it didn’t go as well, so that’s something for us to look at. (…) With the level of chances [Timo] is able to generate, I want to believe things are going to really fall for him, and he’s going to be able to put together a consistent season of finishing. It’ll certainly warrant us as a coaching staff to be challenged to find a way to make those things work.”
Worth a Shot?
While Keefe’s explanation makes perfect sense, the preseason will be a great time to experiment. It seems that most of their woes when together come from simply being out of sync; it’s not a lack of talent or skill.
If the Devils find a way to utilize Hughes and Meier’s shooting abilities, along with Jesper Bratt’s playmaking prowess, they could potentially create one of the deadliest power plays in recent memory.
And at even strength, they’re too talented not to consistently find eventual success. Now, this isn’t saying they won’t be a good team if those two are separate. But having those two gel together will add a 1-2 punch that many NHL teams can’t reciprocate.
