3 New Jersey Devils Who Will Set Career Highs In 2023-24

Dawson Mercer
Previous Career High: 56 points

Dawson Mercer went into Beast Mode at times last season. There was a stretch where he was the best player on the ice. It might seem like conjecture, but Mercer was legitimately carrying his teammates for a hot minute. Mercer’s stretch at the end of February and the beginning of March was insane. He had a 12-game point streak in which he put up 20 points.

The issue with Mercer is consistency. Just look at his playoff scoring. Mercer had seven points in 12 games. That’s not bad for a young player in that atmosphere. However, he had eight games with zero points. He was great in the Devils 8-4 win over the Canes (three assists), and he had a goal and two assists total in Games 5 and 6 of the Rangers series.

Mercer is also very young, going into this season at just 21 years old. He will turn 22 in October. We expect Mercer’s jump in points to come from two aspects of his game: consistency and power play. The first one is obvious. Younger players get more consistent with more playtime. We’re not expecting him to get 20 points every 12 games. That would give him 136 points on the season. However, his incredible health (he’s never missed a game) and knack for working hard for his offense will lead to more consistent opportunities and finishing ability.

As for the power play, Mercer will find himself either on an elite first line or a much improved second line. Last season, the second line was atrocious, and Mercer was often the best offensive player on it. Damon Severson was playing point. This season, the second unit should have players like Luke Hughes, Tyler Toffoli, maybe even Timo Meier or Jesper Bratt. Mercer can focus more on positioning instead of driving the offense.