The talk around Dawson Mercer has been hanging in the air for a while now, especially as the New Jersey Devils reshape their roster under new management. With Sunny Mehta trying to sharpen the team’s middle six and secondary scoring, Mercer’s name has kept surfacing as the kind of trade chip that can tempt a front office.
That would be the wrong move.
Mehta shouldn’t be shopping the 24-year-old forward. If anything, Mercer is the player the Devils should be moving quickly to keep, not move out. The smarter play is a long-term extension.
Mercer has given New Jersey exactly the kind of reliability teams struggle to find. Since his NHL debut, he has suited up in every game of his five-year career. On a Devils team that has been hit hard by injuries to its star core, that kind of durability matters.
The production is there, too. Mercer has reached 20 goals three times already, and even when his scoring line dips or his role shifts around the top nine, that number has held as his baseline.
If New Jersey were to include him in a bigger deal, the only real argument would be for a player with major impact, like Dylan Larkin. Outside of that kind of return, moving Mercer makes little sense.
The contract situation only strengthens the case to extend him. He’s on a $4 million AAV right now, which is a bargain for what he brings. Even with one year left, his next deal is likely to climb into the $6-6.5 million range, and if Mehta is serious about keeping Mercer, the term should land somewhere around five to six years.
That’s the window to strike. Locking Mercer in now would let the Devils buy up the rest of his prime at a manageable price before the salary cap rises again. A dependable, home-grown top-nine forward who finishes around the net and never seems to miss a game is the kind of player contenders need to keep.
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Quinn Hughes Just Gave Devils Fans A Reason To Keep Hoping
Quinn Hughes has become one of the more intriguing names in this offseason tug-of-war, and the latest chatter only adds to the intrigue for Devils fans who are watching every twist. Elliotte Friedman has suggested a three-year deal could land in the neighborhood of $18 million annually, which is the kind of framework that keeps a major player in play without locking anything down too far into the future.
The wrinkle in all of this is the leverage game around Minnesota, where Hughes camp appears to be pushing hard as the Wild weigh how much they are willing to commit. For New Jersey, the hook is obvious: if the market keeps moving and family becomes part of the equation, the Devils remain one of the teams with a real reason to stay on alert, even if the next move still belongs to someone else. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Prospects Are Headed For A Crowded Battle In Utica
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Of course, these kinds of AHL pairings are never set in stone for long, and that is part of what makes the picture so crowded. The projections are really a snapshot of depth and possibility more than a fixed lineup, but they do underline how many young defensemen the Devils will be trying to sort through in Utica, with roles and partners likely to shift as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]