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…
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