NHL Trade Rumors: Timo Meier Targeted by Blues amid Devils, Hurricanes Deadline Links

While it seemed like the St. Louis Blues would be full sellers at the trade deadline after moving on from Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly this winter, it appears the franchise hasn't ruled out becoming a buyer.

The Blues inquired with the San Jose Sharks about a deal for Timo Meier, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. This comes amid rumors linking him to the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.

The Blues traded Tarasenko to the New York Rangers on Feb. 9 in exchange for Sammy Blais, defense prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

The franchise followed that up by trading Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 17 in a three-team trade that also included the Minnesota Wild. St. Louis received Adam Gaudette, prospect Mikhail Abramov, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick in the deal.

The Blues now have three first-round picks in this year's draft. Seravalli believes the franchise will "leverage" those first-round picks to bring in Meier and sign him to a long-term extension to make him part of their core alongside Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn.

Meier is in the final year of a four-year, $24 million contract he signed with the Shark in July 2019.

With San Jose well out of a playoff spot at 18-29-11 and headed for a rebuild, Meier is one of the team's biggest trade chips alongside two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.

The 26-year-old has molded himself into a consistent 30-plus goal scorer. In 77 games last season, he tallied 35 goals and 41 assists for 76 points. Through 57 games this season, he's notched 31 goals and 21 assists for 52 points.

While Meier would certainly help St. Louis improve, the Blues currently sit well out of a playoff spot with a 26-27-3 record, so his acquisition would be more important for the future of the franchise.

While the Hurricanes and Devils are interested in Meier, the Blues might be better positioned to land the star forward as San Jose is asking for a first-round pick and a high-end prospect or a first-round pick and two Grade B prospects, per SJ Hockey Now's Sheng Peng.