While the New York Jets were in the process of beating the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer was putting pen to paper on a new contract with the team that drafted him.
“Three years at $4 [million] per for Dawson Mercer and the Devils,” reported TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger on Friday morning. “Sounds like it was finalized last night during the Jets/Pats game.”
The Devils officially opened their training camp earlier this week, and they now have their last piece of offseason business done after locking up the 22-year-old.
Mercer was originally selected No. 18 overall by the Devils in the 2020 NHL Draft. After four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he broke into the National in the 2021-22 season.
And the Newfoundland and Labrador native made his mark right away, playing a full 82-game slate in his rookie season and chipping in 17 goals and 42 points. He was even better the next year on a surprisingly elite Devils team, posting 27 goals and 56 points over another fully healthy campaign.
Mercer also made a difference in the postseason, recording seven points in 12 games as New Jersey beat their archrival New York Rangers in a thrilling seven-game series in Round 1 before bowing out to the Carolina Hurricanes in five.
But 2023-24 was a down year for the youngster. Although he again played a full 82 games, he managed just 20 goals and 33 points, struggling mightily on a Devils team that took a huge step backward.
A big reason for that was the inconsistent play between the pipes, and the devastating injury that cost star defenseman Dougie Hamilton nearly the entire campaign.
After the disappointing season, it made sense that Mercer's AAV would hover around the $4 million mark, and he'll now have a chance to prove himself as a top-six forward on the team over the next three years.
And after a huge offseason for general manager Tom Fitzgerald and the front office, it's postseason or bust for the 2024-25 Devils.
Devils look ‘scary' after new additions, says Tomas Tatar
Besides the blockbuster trade that brought Jacob Markstrom to Newark, the Devils also added the likes of Brendan Dillon, Brett Pesce, Paul Cotter and Tomas Tatar, who re-joined this summer after two years with the club.
Add that to a roster full of talented players like Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt and Hamilton, and you have a squad that is already looking much stronger than last year.
“I look on paper,” Tatar told The Athletic's Peter Baugh earlier this week, “(and) the team looks very scary.”
It'll be intriguing to see how the Devils fare in the Metropolitan Division after a hugely disappointing 38-39-5 record in 2023-24. Just as intriguing will be seeing if Dawson Mercer can bounce back with a nice new contract under his belt.
New Jersey begins the new NHL season against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czech Republic on October 4.
Follow Us
Subscribe
