With the final season of his Entry-Level Contract (ELC) up, the question on many New Jersey Devils fans minds is “What’s going to happen to Dawson Mercer?” The 22-year-old forward signed his ELC in December 2020 after being drafted 18th overall earlier that same year. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has made qualifying offers to Mercer among other players, but he has yet to re-sign any of them.
Dawson Mercer’s Contract and his Record With the Team So Far
Mercer made his NHL debut at the beginning of the 2021-22 season against the Chicago Blackhawks where he recorded his first assist. Four days later, he scored his first NHL goal in a 4-2 win against the Seattle Kraken. During his rookie season he was the only Devil to play in all 82 games of the season. He ended his rookie year with 42 points.
Since then, Mercer has continued to evolve as a player. During the 2022-23 season he recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Moreover, he’s someone who gets moved around in the lineup quite often, usually rotating between the second and third lines. He’s a dynamic player who’s able to play as a centre or right wing. This came in very handy the past season when the team was constantly switching the lineup around to accommodate for injuries. Aside from him being able to alternate positions, Mercer’s had two consecutive 20-goal seasons.
How Mercer Re-Signing is Beneficial
There was a slight decrease in Mercer’s stats when it comes to goals and assists over the last two seasons. His decrease in production is what should make signing a new deal easier. He’ll most likely be offered a short-term contract to improve his game.
Fitzgerald has the potential to re-sign a player who’s been able to add depth to the bottom six or step up when he’s needed. As long as Mercer stays, the team gets to keep an easily adjustable player who’s been dependable so far. With appearances in all 82 games for his past three seasons there’s a sense of reliability that Mercer is going to show up as long as he’s able to.
Mercer is an example that you don’t need to be the absolute best in the league in order to have an impact. Furthermore, he’s played alongside Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes on the top lines but he’s also moved down to third. He isn’t the top goal scorer but he’s still able to score. Fitzgerald may not sign him to an extremely lengthy or expensive contract but he’s an important part of the team.
It seems highly likely that a contract signing will be announced in the next few days or weeks. The Devils are a team that recently became known for having a lot of young guys. It makes sense to utilize and help build on the talent they have instead of completely starting from scratch.
Where Mercer’s Career Can Go from Here
After the slight drop in performance between his past two seasons, Mercer has the chance to regain some momentum. With a fully healthy team he’ll be able to play alongside linemates that he’s used to. He finished last season with only 20 goals and 13 assists. He also had a shooting percentage of 14.9 per cent. If the trend follows, he will be able to be at least a 20-goal scorer for the third year in a row. There is the possibility that he could surpass that mark and score between 25-30 goals. In terms of assists, the Devils were all over the place and getting trapped in their own zone. If they’re able to avoid doing that as much as possible next season and get themselves scoring opportunities, Mercer will have his chance to shine.
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
