The New Jersey Devils appear to hit a home run with the 18th-overall pick.
The biggest piece in the Taylor Hall trade is complete after the New Jersey Devils selected Dawson Mercer with the 18th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Mercer fell to the pick, as most rankings had him in the low-to-mid teens. It seems like the Devils got a gem here, even if it cost them in the next pick.
Obviously, the Devils had picks at 18 and 20. With only one pick inbetween them, the Devils could be strategic with how they played the board here. The New York Rangers forced things to take a turn when they traded up to the 19th pick to take Braden Schneider, who obviously made a lot of sense for the Devils at 20.
Still, there was no reason to keep Mercer on the board there. It would be a much bigger mistake to allow the Rangers to take him, a good center, than the defenseman with limited upside.
Mercer’s greatest ability is probably how he’s able to make plays with the puck on his stick. Elite Prospects says he’s able to deke players with a variety of moves. The Devils have Nikita Gusev who can make similar moves, but outside him most of the players do things with pure speed and skill. Mercer has the ability to get the puck to high-danger areas when the puck is in the zone.
This pick is every great sports metaphor. It’s a home run, a slam dunk, a hole in one, a Tony Hawk 900, a Serena Williams ace. It’s such a monster pick that losing Schneider was completely worth it. The Devils got themselves a great prospect that should have gone six or seven picks higher. He’s a top-ten player in most drafts. This one just had such a weird talent disparity that teams jumped at the chance to get their guy. The Devils might end up with the best player taken in the teens.