New Jersey Devils: Choices for Dawson Mercer Line in Debut

The newest Devils rookie, Dawson Mercer, is set to make his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks. When Mercer came over to try out for the team in training camp, Mercer had to work hard to get a spot on the team. When Mercer played in the 2021-22 preseason, that’s when he made his mark on the organization. In each game Mercer played in, he looked terrific. Now that Mercer is about to take his first steps into his NHL career, there is one question revolving around his first game? Who will be his first two linemates be when he plays in the game? Here are the ones that are most likely playing with Mercer.

Dawson Mercer Linemate #1: Andreas Johnsson

According to the pictures taken by Devils reporter Amanda Stein, the last several practices saw Dawson Mercer on a line with Andreas Johnsson. I understand that most of us wanted to see Alexander Holtz stay up here as well. Both Mercer and Holtz looked great together on their line during the preseason. However, Holtz was sent down to Binghamton to work on his game a little more. Maybe we’ll see Holtz later in the year. Now looking at Andreas Johnsson, he needs to have a step-up year. When I did my awards article earlier in May, I gave Andreas Johnsson the award for the worst player of the year. I gave him that award because he barely stood out on the team.

Now that Andreas’s first year as a Devil is over, it’s time to have a bounce-back year. To start that, maybe he could help Mercer gets his first NHL points. When Johnsson played in Toronto, most of his points came from assists. Now granted, the Maple Leaf’s roster was more talented, but that shouldn’t stop Johnsson from being a helpful player. If both Mercer and Johnsson want to start well, they could form chemistry with each other. If that worked, both of their games could improve very well. We would see Mercer becoming a future star and Johnsson having a way better season.

Dawson Mercer Linemate #2: Tomas Tatar

Mercer isn’t the only debut we get to see tomorrow. When Fitzgerald acquired Tomas Tatar in the offseason, we knew that we were getting someone good in the scoring market. Last year, Tatar was 4th best in terms of scoring for Montreal by scoring 30 points. Even though he didn’t show up in the playoffs at all, he shouldn’t have to worry about playoffs right now. Tatar adds a bit of scoring depth to the team with the Devils, which they lacked for a while. Fans cannot wait to see what he offers in terms of scoring tomorrow night. But what exactly does this do to help Mercer?

Unlike Johnsson, Tatar has a lot more NHL experience. Tatar has been with three teams for over ten years. Because of that experience, Tatar can teach Dawson Mercer what to look for in this league. Since this will be Mercer’s first time facing non-preseason rosters, having a veteran like him helps build his confidence. Having Tatar on Dawson Mercer’s wing also means that there’s a better chance of getting points. Considering what we saw in the preseason with Dawson Mercer, he needs someone who could potentially be his setup man. Thankfully Tatar could be that guy, as both could be deadly together. Hopefully, we will see that tonight.

Dawson Mercer Linemate #3: Jimmy Vesey

Let’s say that in the middle of the game, Ruff decides to shake up the lines. Tatar gets promoted to another line. Who will Mercer play with now? I believe that Jimmy Vesey might get a chance to play with Dawson Mercer if the lines get switched up. Vesey signed a professional try-out contract with us before training camp. When he got to training camp, he was a surprising stand-out candidate. When the preseason games played, he managed to get at least 2 points in the three games he played. It’s incredible to see the guy we wanted five years ago is still a decent skater.

In terms of helping Dawson Mercer with his game, I can see him being the guy who can help Mercer getting assists. Vesey’s first three years in the NHL had many points because he scored many goals. Despite not being a big goal scorer, he can still score goals whenever he has the right line. If he got placed on a line with Dawson Mercer, his numbers would go up because Mercer is a great player when it comes to assists. When he played in the QMJHL, he averaged about 20 assists in 2 of the four seasons. So, Mercer knows a thing or two when it comes to assists. Hopefully, all these players will somehow make Dawson Mercer’s introduction in the NHL a special one!