Dawson Mercer Had a Career-Low in Points & is a Pending RFA…What Will His Contract Look Like?

Dawson Mercer Had a Career-Low in Points & is a Pending RFA…What Will His Contract Look Like?

merdog did not exceed expectations this season however he still has a lot of upside he’s a pending RFA what will his contract look like now we have a lot to break down in today’s episode of Locked on Devils buckle up everybody your locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re walked on devilray [Applause] Matthews St stepped up got the what a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to the lockon podcast here on lockon network I’m your host College Hockey Club a play announcer del d pucks pitchforks and also part-time credential me a member Trey Matthews another day goes by in which the New Jersey Devils still have not signed their next head coach for the upcoming season hoping for something to change within the next few days especially since Memorial Day is right around the corner we’ll see what happens but it seems like the devils are inching closer closer and closer to making that announcement we’ve been seeing some things on social media from Kevin weeks from other NHL media Personnel that is teasing the devil’s discourse a little bit but for the time being that head coach spot is still vac well we’re not going to talk about that for today’s episode we’re actually going to talk about Dawson Mercer some people have mixed emotions about Dawson Mercer just based on how he played this past season because he took a little bit of a step backwards compared to the season prior at the conclusion of this campaign he finished with a career low in points albeit he’s only been in the NHL for three seasons in the first segment I will talk about my expectations heading into the season for Mercer and we’ll also talk about his stats and compare him to some other Devil’s players then in the second segment we’ll play some sound bites courtesy of exit interviews from last month and Mercer reflecting on his season and I’ll tell you guys my expectations for him going forward and how I think his role should be with the Devils because I’ve been hearing some people say that Mercer should be brought up in trade discussions because if the devils are serious about shape-shifting their WR ER maybe you include him and a few other players in trade talks I’m against it and I will explain my reasoning why and then in the third and final segment he is a pending RFA and people are wondering what will his contract look like how much money will he take and for how long I think that’s the biggest question so I’ll talk about that to round out today’s episode going into this season my expectations for Mercer were pretty high because as we all know during the histor 2022 2023 season for the Devils he played a vital part in that he was on a top line of Nico heer and former devil Tomas satar and those three went on a tear for the Devils for the first couple months because I remember when the Devils first acquired teim o meire there were some discussions as to which line would team o Meer play on and Mercer Tatar and heer were were performing so well that you could not split those three up I would say that they were one of the Hott lines in the NHL and remember the Devils were kind of struggling during the winter months particularly in December and early January and once Dawson Mercer got it going and xfactor piece that really turned around I would say the season just a little bit because the Devils were still in playoff position but they were spiraling just a tad bit but Mercer really snapped them back to reality or he played a big role in that but when looking at his stats from this year compared to last once again he didn’t really take a step forward in 82 game appearances he had 20 goals 13 assists for a grand toll of 33 points if you need some sort of comparison during the 2022 2023 season 82 games once again 27 goals 29 assists for a grand total of 56 points and then his rookie year 82 games played 17 goals 25 assists 42 points when we look look at his stats compared to other Devil’s players I just mentioned the 20 goals he was sixth on the team 13 assists 12th on the team points 33 he was eighth on the team just a fun fact for you Eric Hala had more points than Dawson Mercer in six less game appearances Andre poot had two less points than Mercer in 11 less game appearances if you need that sort of reference face off win percentage 44.9% ninth on the team Power Play Goals four seventh on the team offensive Point share rating 1.4 10th on the team defensive point share rating 0.7 17th on the team giving him a point share rating of 2.1 which was 20th on the team plus minus rating second last just above teimo Meer he had a rating of minus 26 I I talked about how I had high expectations going into this season for him is because once again he was performing really well last year and I thought he would be sort of like a fringe All-Star type player because I’m like he found a groove it seems like he’s found a rhythm I said if he gets off to a good start then I think Mercer can definitely be an underrated start type player for the Devils of course I was not anticipating for him to represent the Devils at the allstar game but I was sort of thinking like a lesser version of Jesper brat because as we all know Jesper is one of the more underrated players in the NHL and he finally got his break by replacing Jack Hughes in Toronto for the All-Star Game festivities but I thought Justin Mercer kids slide into that role just a little bit more like he’s not going to get much League wide attention but he’s still going to be vital for this Devil’s roster and his slow start this season I would argue and say it was was a lot slower compared to last year I don’t think he scored his first goal of the Season until the Devils were dealing with some injuries particularly with Jack Hughes but once again similar to last season once he gets it going he’s a very solid player and once Tyler T Foley was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets I’ve alluded to this in Prior episodes but particularly him and team oire their roles Chang and you saw more production from them because 20 goals is still very impressive if you ask me but what’s even more impressive is that Dawson Mercer and I guess this is why he gets the nickname merdog he’s just an absolute Warrior because he has not missed not one single game whether it’s for injury or being a healthy scratch whatever the case might be Mercer has suited up in all 82 games up to this point in his career and hopefully he can keep it going sort of like the Iron Man on this Devil’s roster knock on wood but Mercer was asked about this during exit interviews and here’s what he had to say about keeping his body healthy in a season where there were plenty of injuries you were one of the few that played all of those games what did you put in to make sure your body was ready you were physically ready to go for all of those 82 games throughout the year yeah um I think it’s something I focus on my full career since I’ve been here uh I want to be a guy that can be put in the lineup every game and be relied on that he’ll be ready to go and um it’s important you know I try to play the game smart don’t put myself in those situations where things can happen uh prepare make sure you’re you know ready for the game and um when you have things going on you know you you take care of it and just make sure you’re ready to go Mercer alongside with Luke Hughes Alexander Holtz Kevin ball and Jesper brat were the only players to not be impacted by the injury bug that was making its way throughout the devil’s locker room and he answered as to how he keeps his body healthy but I think another factor that plays into any professional athlete avoiding injury is just Lu and I hate to use that word but that’s what I’ve heard whether it’s an NBA player or an NFL player injuries are just a part of the game and if you can go your entire career without dealing with a major injury you are very lucky especially since you’re playing best of the best you’re playing in the top leagues and all the mileage that’s added on to your body it’s quite impressive and I definitely don’t want to take that away from Mercer because he is a warrior out there and I think that’s one of the reasons why you can’t make him a healthy scratch despite sometimes not really having that much of an impact for certain games but he always plays hard 100% And he fits the system for New Jersey and that’s what we’re going to talk about in the next segment but before we continue I want to tell you guys about FanDuel because I want to see you guys make some extra money it’s winner take all time in the NBA and NHL and FanDuel is giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning 5 bet that’s 150 bucks to bet on spreads money lines player props and more visit fanduel.com Ledon and make every playoff shot count FanDuel America’s number one sports book please remember to gamble responsibly and I would bet on the Minnesota Timberwolves for possibly winning the NBA finals this season I love Anthony Edwards and I love that he knocked out nicoa yage and Jamal Murray some revenge for us Lakers fans all right let’s talk about where Dawson Mercer can grow his game from here but before I give you guys my thoughts here’s what Mercer had to say when asked this question last month your third season where have you seen your own growth this year yeah um you know I think just trying to be that more overall better player as a young guy you know there’s a lot of aspects where you you can just add on little tiny things that’ll make you a better player and uh overall it makes the bigger picture um a lot more so I think just all those aspects of you know getting to the net playing fast being on the dside All These Little Things add up to the end of the game and uh when you look at the end of the year and you’re focus on next season it’s a fresh start to get B at it okay Mercer had a Down Season that’s obvious but so did a lot of other players and I definitely don’t want to condescend Mercer in any which sort of way because I still think he’s vital on this Devil’s roster and if he’s just put into the right situation into the right position then Mercer can do a lot of great things for this Devil’s roster whether it’s playing on the top six the bottom six whatever the case might be and during his exit interview he was asked like which position is he the most comfortable playing because as we all know sometimes he’s put at Center sometimes he’s put at Winger in my opinion I think Mercer is better suited as a Winger so that way he could position himself to try to clean up the Loose Change and this is something I’m going to talk about momentarily but Mercer was really good like I said in the first segment with heer and Tatar and who’s Manning that line it was niik heser the captain and I think that’s what Mercer really needs to do moving forward and I know he’s capable of playing Center but I think he’s just better utilized at a Winger position because he can play a little bit more free he likes to play Fast he likes to play hard and if he can find himself some openings then he has an absolute sniper if you ask me he has a really good shot and I think that can definitely help him in more ways than one and something else I want to factor in when discussing his down year is that the injury bug may have not impacted him personally but it did impact his game what do I mean by that well as we all know the Devils were just plagued with injuries and one of the players that got the worst of it was douge Hamilton Hamilton missed about 75% of the season and Bill Spalding and C Dano talked about this on air when you’re missing someone like douge Hamilton it definitely leaves a big impact in more ways than one because as I’ve said in Prior episodes I think Hamilton has one of the best slap shots in the entire NF even if he doesn’t score he knows where to locate it and that helps someone like Dawson Mercer or Teo Meer once again collect the Loose Change in front and finish that’s where Mercer’s game is best utilized and that’s why sometimes he could be dangerous on the power play as well because he’s hanging in front of those open areas and he can clean up the mess but when you’re missing someone like douge Hamilton that impacts someone like Dawson Mercer’s game it sort of sets off a chain of reactions and if you have nemit or Luke just ripping slap shots no one’s going to fear that and this is something that I’ve been talking about for both those young defensemen which is they need to work on their shooting a little bit more because I would say that they’re good Playmakers and they definitely know how to get their name into the into the column by getting assists but they’re not going to fear anybody with their slap shots with all due respect and this is something I’ve also been talking about in Prior episodes which is the inexperience on the devil’s Blue Line will cost them if they do not fix it and that’s why you need someone like John Marino or Jonas Sean thaler or douge Hamilton so while we’re on this subject I think the Devils if they’re looking for a defenseman look for someone who’s not only gritty but is not afraid to rip it from the point and while he’s not looking for the goal he’s trying to set up his teammates and create more scoring chances because I think Dawson Mercer can definitely benefit from that and that’s something that I want people to take into consideration I’m not saying it’s the only Factor but it definitely plays a big part another Factor like I talked about in the first segment once Tyler defley was out of the picture Dawson Mercer saw his role increase and I talked about it when tooi was first acquired that I was anticipating for Mercer stats to go down just a little bit more because to Foley takes priority in that case so I would say once the Devils get healthy and once Mercer is playing Winger in my opinion I think he will definitely have a big impact in more ways than one and he’ll rebound which is why he should not be in trade discussions if you ask me because he adds more depth to this Devil’s team and one of the reasons why the Devils were so successful during the 2022 2023 season was because of their depth assets that was on full display when Eric H was showing up late in the year and during the playoffs or Michael McLoud he had his big moments depth is so essential for any team to have a legitimate playoff chance because that’s what makes a lot of these teams so dangerous because they don’t just have to rely on their star players they have a lot of other players that can impact them in more ways than one all in all I know people might have mixed emotions on Dawson Mercer just based on he how he played this season and I get it but the one thing I have to say for dos Mercer is that he has got to get off to a better start if he can get off to a better start he will be a lot better trust me and if he is put into the right position he will be a lot better if this team stays healthy he will be a lot better I have not given up on Dawson Mercer and I don’t think anyone should and quite honestly his down year might actually play into the favor of New Jersey because he is a pending RFA but the question is like how long are the Devils going to resign them for and the multi-million doll question is how much okay Mercer was asked during exit interviews how he’s been handling the contract discussions since he’s a pending restrictive free agent and also his thoughts on New Jersey in general and what the organization means to him take a listen a just just early thoughts your upcoming restrictive free agency and and you know is that I imagine something you want to get as handled as as quickly as possible um like they they take care of all that you know to be honest I I I focus on playing hockey it’s something that I’ve um I really keep that out of it so be honest with playing a game a few nights ago I I I would love for whatever would happen but they take care of it I really don’t know how much how much uh have you enjoyed your time here with the devils and what kind of promise do you see in this this entire group healthy group yeah yeah uh you know you talk on it every season I we love it the young the competitive of the skillful fast team that we have here and I think every season we show we show that that we’re a team that’s you know obviously going to grow together and be that group and uh it’s exciting to be here with such that young talented um team so I’m I’m happy to be part of that and um you know I’m excited for it for sure away from the game away from the stuff on the ice what’s the significance for you to be a member of the devils and to be a part of this community that the fans really do support yeah um it’s great I’ve been saying it ever since and you know when you get drafted by an organization it’s a proud moment and um I’ve always been proud to be a devil and play play here so um they believed in me and that’s why they took me and um I believed in them so it was pretty special to you know keep on playing every year like I I’ve been doing and uh whenever we can come here to the Rock and play a game and uh it’s it’s a great day for us I think it’s safe to say that I don’t anticipate Mercer to be going anywhere and I always enjoy talking about pending rfas because it’s a little confusing like what could potentially happen to these players because it’s like they’re not ufas but at the same time it doesn’t mean they’re going to be on the roster come next season and I talked about that same situation with Joor Sharon goich in which I said there’s just no room for him there’s just no role and I think he’s better utilized somewhere else and now he’s thriving Calgary and un fortunately the devil’s got the short end of the stick for a tit to fley deal unless we see what they do with those two draft picks but digressing a little bit Mercer’s contract is definitely going to be a big question mark and I did some research and courtesy of my colleague over at pucks and pitchforks Marcy Rubin she wrote an article and said last summer anywhere between 4 million and six million per year seemed realistic now the realistic range may be between 4 million and 5 million as Nick the tail of pucks and pitchforks our fellow colleague as well recently suggested three years 4 million annual value would be a fair deal meaning his total contract would be three years $12 million that might be a little low for what he’s worth but it shouldn’t be surprising to see this go to A Team friendly route and I think that’s absolutely correct because for Mercer it’s just like he had a little bit of a Down year and teams might pick up on that and I think the front office might pick up on that as well and now this would be a decent investment for them because I just listed you all the factors that might have not gone Mercer’s way you’re going to get a new coach who might utilize Mercer a lot better the team’s going to be healthier and Mercer still has a lot to Showcase I mean 20 goals this season that’s definitely not a fluke and what he did the season prior not a fluke either and I think he’s a very smart hockey player this might be a decent investment for New Jersey and I think they’re going to capitalize on it and if Mercer ends up improving his game that’s another steal for Tom Fitzgerald and Company because remember Nico heer Jack Hughes Jesper Brad if you want to argue and say Teo Meyer all of them are on team Friendly Deals trust me Meyer would have been paid a lot more by another team out there you best believe it jper brat same way we know the situation with heer and Hughes they signed their extensions before they really started to elevate their game and I think the same could be said for Mercer if he signs on that dotted line this off season which I’m anticipating for him to do and he really improves his game and he grows similar to what he alluded to in the second segment Mercer is going to be a solid option for the Devils whether he’s on the top six the bottom six first line Second Line third line whatever the case might be if he’s just given that decent Siz role and all the other factors and the chips fall where they may Mercer is still a very good player and I’m excited to see where he can potentially take his game but let me know what you guys think what would you sign Dawson Mercer to and what were your thoughts on this past season yes it was a bit of a Down year but I think it was a down year in general for the entire Devil’s team which is why they are not in the playoffs for right now leave a comment down if you’re watching on YouTube if you’re listening on podcast streaming service hit me up on my personal xpage app at trap 4 or the show’s xpage app at lockon Devils as today’s episode that’s all time I have for you continue to stay safe have a wonderful day in New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys next episode thanks for listening once again

Dawson Mercer had a career-low in points this past season and is also a pending restricted free agent. He has already proven himself to be a very solid asset. Despite his “down year”, he should be back with the New Jersey Devils next season. But what will his contract look like?

Interview soundbite: Dawson Mercer (Courtesy of the New Jersey Devils)

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