San Jose Sharks: Timo Meier must step up in Joe Pavelski’s absence

The San Jose Sharks will need budding star Timo Meier to step up following the departure of longtime Sharks star and team captain Joe Pavelski.

The San Jose Sharks are a team that knew ahead of time that change was coming this offseason. With limited cap space and multiple big-name players hitting the market, there was little-to-no chance that the team would be able to keep the core together.

San Jose saw the departures of key contributors such as Justin Braun, Joonas Donskoi, and Gustav Nyquist, but none were as impactful or hurtful as the loss of captain Joe Pavelski.

Pavelski has been the heart and soul of this Sharks team for quite some time now and his absence will be felt on and off the ice.

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While it is nearly impossible to replace what he meant to this team, the remaining Sharks players will have to do their best to make up for his absence. All eyes will be on Logan Couture who could now be asked to step up and fill the captain vacancy.

On the ice, that task could fall on the backs of the team’s younger players such as Tomas Hertl and Kevin Labanc. But perhaps no one will be asked to step up more than former first-rounder Timo Meier.

Meier was one of the players that San Jose re-signed this offseason as the two sides came to an agreement on a four-year, $24 million to keep the restricted free agent in San Jose. At just 22-years-old, Meier is one of the fastest rising stars in the NHL, even if he isn’t being discussed as much as others just yet.

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This past season, Meier’s 66 points were good for fourth-best on the team while his 30 goals ranked third behind just Hertl and — you guessed it — Pavelski. His 15 playoff points and five postseason goals ranked fourth and third respectively as well.

After showing promise in the 2017-18 campaign, Meier truly broke out this past season playing primarily on the first line with Couture and — once again — Pavelski. Now, Meier will be tasked with picking up the slack in Pavelski’s absence while continuing to develop his game.

When speaking about his older now-former teammate, Timo Meier had the following to say.

"“He’s probably one of the best in front of the net. A lot of stuff that I’ve been able to learn from him — tipping pucks, taking the goalies eyes away. Him leaving is a chance for young players to step up and take a bigger role. That’s my mindset. To come into the next season and hopefully get a spot on the top power play (unit) and get some more playing time. I want to take full advantage of that opportunity.”"

It will undoubtedly be difficult to match the level of play that Pavelski was at last season — even ignoring the off-ice leadership for a second. But Meier doesn’t sound like someone ready to back down from a challenge.

This upcoming season could be the year that we see Meier take his next step towards stardom. Sharks fans know just how good he is and could be, but it’s time for the rest of the NHL to take notice.

After all, the number of 22-year-olds that are already as good as he is can be counted on one hand. And the future looks even brighter for the former 2015 ninth overall pick.

It will be a next-man-up philosophy for the San Jose Sharks this upcoming season. And Timo Meier is more than ready to handle the responsibility.