Training camp for the New Jersey Devils is about two weeks away from starting and they still do not have restricted free agent forward Dawson Mercer signed. This is a problem for a team that has expectations this season to get back into the playoffs.
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Devils General Managers extended qualifying offers to all his restricted free agents on June 30th right after the 2024 NHL Draft was over. Soon after he was able to Nolan Foote, Adam Beckman, defenseman Santeri Hatakka, and goalie Nico Daws all signed new deals with the club. However, the hardest one to complete has been Dawson Mercer.
Devils President and General Manager has stated numerous “We feel Dawson Mercer is a long-term player for us.” If that is the case the Devils need to get this young player into training camp so he can learn and adapt to new head coach Sheldon Keefe’s system. The worst thing you want as a franchise is a younger player to fall behind.
Look what happened with the Anaheim Ducks last season. Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras were both RFAs and held out. Both signed contracts right before the season started. They missed all of training camp, fell behind, and got hurt in the process. Drysdale was later traded to Philadelphia as part of the Cutter Gauthier trade. The Devils are not looking to trade Dawson Mercer by any means, though his name continues to come up in trade talks.
Could New Jersey Devils RFA Dawson Mercer Get an Offer Sheet?
Mercer has been an effective player for the New Jersey Devils. He was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. In 246 regular season games, he has recorded 131 points (64 goals and 67 assists). Last season was a down year for Mercer recording just 33 points (20 goals and 13 assists) in 82 games. This was coming off a year where he set career highs with 56 points, 27 goals, and 25 assists.
Mercer plays in all situations for the Devils. And in his first three seasons with the Devils, he has played in all 82 games. He is a very durable player. Again something the Devils would like to see him continue. Not to mention New Jersey still has a hole offensively in their top six even with the free agent signing of Tomas Tatar. But with a new coach in place, you have to wonder how Keefe will utilize Mercer.
Mercer’s penalty kill time should not drop considering Keefe had a habit with the Toronto Maple Leafs to use his best players on the penalty kill. Not only that but Mercer knows how to block shots and is a very good two-way defensive forward. If Keefe and the Devils utilize him in the top six there is a potential for him to be a scoring threat.
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But again he needs to be at the start of training camp. Both the Devils and Dawson Mercer continue to work through contract negotiations. But having a young player like Mercer there at the start of camp just makes things better for the new coach because he has all his players there. Now the systems that are put in place account for what that player can do not what is assumed when the player is not there.
This is an interesting situation to watch. Mercer has seen others around the NHL get their money. So you have to wonder what the deal looks like. Again the most likely outcome is a bridge deal. But it all comes to the dollar amount.
Again the New Jersey Devils need Dawson Mercer there. They have protected him in trade talks and are not willing to part with him. It is now to show it.
