Trading Dawson Mercer Could Be Part Of Devils' Offseason Changes

It has been made clear that the New Jersey Devils will be making changes to their roster this offseason. The most changes look to be coming at forward. One move has already kicked things off, and that was Tomas Tatar signing overseas. The Devils weren't bringing him back anyways after a poor season.

There is much more to be done as the Devils struggled down the stretch when Jack Hughes was injured. The depth wasn't present for most of the season, and that is what has to change. Dawson Mercer isn't considered a depth piece as he does play second line and fill in at center, but he isn't one of the core pieces either.

The 23-year-old is on a fair $4 million AAV deal for two more seasons, but unlike Ondrej Palat, who the team would like to get rid of more at $6 million AAV for two more years as well, Mercer has no trade protection while Palat has a full no move clause,

Mercer has yet to miss a game in the NHL through four seasons, but he hasn't been able to match his sophomore season where he scored 27 goals and 56 points. The young forward finished this season with 19 goals and 36 points, but it was an improvement upon his 2023-24 season at least. Mercer's goal for % and Corsi % improved and even though he scored one fewer goal, he finished with more points.

Plenty of teams would jump at the chance to acquire Mercer from the Devils. He will likely fit in as a second line center for a lot of his career or play on the wing in the top-6. New Jersey only has $12 million to spend on extending Luke Hughes, Cody Glass, and some other depth forward pieces, so they should find a way to free up cap space elsewhere rather than trading Mercer at this time. He can be part of the future as a top-6 winger for the Devils alongside Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier or even as the third line center. As the Devils look to compete next season, they can't be moving pieces like Mercer.