The rumours surrounding the San Jose Sharks and Timo Meier have been persistent. Meier is expected to be traded ahead of the March 3rd National Hockey League trade deadline. However, it now appears the Sharks are making the task of trading Meier that much more difficult.
According to Rasid Becirovic, the San Jose won't allow Meier's agent Claude Lemieux to work on an extension before a trade happens, something that is common place these days prior to big players being moved, take a look:
Meier, 26, has skated in 54 games for the Sharks this season, notching 51 points including 30 goals and 21 assists. In a contract year, Meier is certainly setting himself up for a nice raise at seasons end. As noted above, Meier will still likely be traded, but blocking extension talks is an interesting way for San Jose to keep power in the trade overall.
With just 3 weeks until the trade deadline, it's certainly something to keep an eye on. This decision is strange for the Sharks as it will decrease their selling power in any trade, reducing the cost dramatically from what it would be if Meier were guaranteed 8 more years with his new team. This decision seems odd, especially if the Sharks are trading Meier out of their conference.
