This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll look at each player on the San Jose Sharks and assess how their season went. This article will focus on Timo Meier.
Meier’s production was down from a bit from last season, where he scored at a pace of 32 goals and 69 points per 82 games and this year, to 22 goals and 49 points in 70 games this year, a pace of 26 goals and 57 points per 82.
Despite averaging slightly more ice time on the power play than last season, Meier also saw a drop in shots per 82, averaging 233 shots/82 this season compared to 263 shots/82 last year. His corsi for percentage also dropped from 56 per cent to 53 per cent, though it was still quite a bit better than the team’s overall corsi for percentage. His expected goals for percentage was also quite high at 53.1 per cent (according to NaturalStatTrick.com).
The lower numbers can paint a picture of a not-so-great season, but it’s important to note that Meier still had a strong year. He led the Sharks in points and his underlying numbers are impressive, just not necessarily as impressive as last season. We probably shouldn’t expect Meier to be hitting 30 goals and nearing 70 points on a consistent basis, but 25 goals and around 60 points per year would still make Meier one of San Jose’s most productive forwards.
That said, considering the fact that he’s only 23 years old and has just three full seasons of NHL experience, we likely have yet to see him reach his full potential. He'll be key for the Sharks for a long time going forward and despite being surrounded by an aging roster, he provides a reason to be excited about the team's future.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc. We're starting right from scratch, so any followers would be appreciated!***
Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
How many points do you expect from Timo Meier next season?
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