The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their roster, and that’s left one of their most useful forwards sitting in a familiar kind of spotlight: Dawson Mercer can fit a lot of places, but no one knows yet where he’ll land.
New Jersey has already checked off a number of boxes after trading Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom, picking up several draft picks and depth scorers in the process. The top six also looks different now, thanks to the additions of Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista. With rookie camp opening Friday and veterans set to report to Prudential Center on Wednesday, the lineup puzzle is starting to come into focus - and Mercer is one of the biggest pieces still to be placed.
The simplest path is to leave him right where he spent most of last season, alongside Timo Meier and Nico Hischier. That trio posted strong possession numbers, including a 53.17 shots for percentage and a 61.26% high-danger scoring chance rate. MoneyPuck had them at 3.16 expected goals and 67.06 shot attempts per 60 minutes, and Sheldon Keefe used them against opposing teams’ top units.
Mercer didn’t match his 2022-23 breakout, but he still got to 20 goals for the third time in his career. He finished sixth on the team with 42 points and logged a career-high 18:14 of ice time per game.
He also played all 82 games, extending a franchise record by reaching his 402nd straight contest. If that line stays together, Mercer will have to justify his place in a top-six role now that new faces are also chasing those minutes.
There’s another route, though, and it might be the one that makes the most sense for New Jersey’s balance. Mercer could slide into a depth-scoring role, working on the right side of the third or fourth line while still giving the Devils strong two-way play and enough offense to matter. That would let him keep playing meaningful minutes without having to carry the same top-line burden.
One combination that stands out is Mercer joining Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass on the third line. The three never appeared together in 2025-26, but Mercer had real success with both players separately. He spent more than 250 minutes with Gritsyuk, and the results were strong: his Corsi rose by 18.32%, and the pair was on the ice for 350 shot attempts, 14 goals and 183 scoring chances.
The chemistry with Glass was there too, even in a much smaller sample. In 47:43 together, Mercer and Glass produced 30 shots, 10 high-danger scoring chances and a 61.54% Fenwick. Put those two relationships together, and the Devils could have a third line that brings a lot more than just filler minutes.
Then there’s the trade angle, which hung over Mercer for much of the summer. His name kept popping up in speculation, with some trade packages tying him to players like Connor Hellebuyck or Quinn Hughes. Still, there’s no clear reason to believe New Jersey is eager to move him.
He remains valuable because he can survive anywhere in the lineup and because he’s been available when the Devils needed him most. With injuries having been a problem in recent seasons, that kind of durability matters.
Whatever Mercer’s role ends up being, the pressure is real. He’s in the final year of his bridge deal and will be a restricted free agent next summer, so his 2026-27 season will go a long way toward determining whether he gets an extension.
The big question is whether he can deliver another 20-goal year and keep himself locked into the Devils’ future.
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