Report: Dawson Mercer STILL On Trade Block, Despite Failed Quinn Hughes Trade

The New Jersey Devils, from all accounts around the National Hockey League, had Dawson Mercer in a package that they were hoping would entice the Vancouver Canucks to send Quinn Hughes to Jersey. As we all know by now, that offer failed.

But according to insider David Pagnotta, the Devils have not, and will not, stop dangling Mercer in trade talks—especially if it lands them one thing in particular.

The Devils are desperately in need of goal scorers. They currently sit 27th in the NHL in scoring, at 2.64 goals per game. Mercer, who was once held up as an answer for that for the future in New Jersey, has seen his goal-scoring production dip for the past three years. Since his 27-goal breakout in his sophomore season in 2022-23, he's dropped to 20 goals, then 19, respectively, in the past two seasons. He's sitting on 10 this year.

There's still promise in the former first-rounder to eventually turn it around, but the Devils need help more urgently than that, says Pagnotta.

He's only 24. A lot of upside to this kid, still... With a team that has a lot of no-trade and no-movement clauses, and (Mercer) doesn't right now, it sounds like he's a piece that if they can bring in a fully impactful scorer, like a top-six legitimate goal scoring threat, that they would consider moving Mercer as part of that. That's something that I want to keep tabs on.

Would a rival team with a legit, "impactful" scorer consider trading him for a 'could be', potential scorer in the future? With Mercer having a year and a half to go on a reasonable $4 million cap hit, and then restricted free agency in the summer of 2027, it's not out of the question, according to the insider.

"If they get an opportunity to bring in a young kid who can score, and it costs you an impactful goal scorer now? I think some teams would consider that. I'm curious to see how (Devils GM) Tom Fitzgerald navigates those waters."

After their latest offensive pratfall, a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night, and their head coach calling out the team's manhood, Fitzgerald might be more anxious than ever to land some sort of big fish to give the Devils a boost. And it sounds like Mercer might be the bait.