New Jersey Devils: Should We Worry About Dawson Mercer’s Slow Start?

Dawson Mercer has been quiet in the New Jersey Devils’ first four games of the 2023-24 NHL season. We hear it’s early a lot in the first few weeks of a season. Truly, it is early, but Mercer’s start is something to think about, especially since this is technically a contract year for him.

In four games, Mercer has no goals and no assists, meaning he’s yet to record a point. He’s taken just four shots on goal. Compare this to last season, and he took 13 shots on goal in the first four games. For a player expected to grow this year, these stats are frustrating.

Last season, Mercer really set his bar high. He set the NHL high for the 2022-23 season and tied a franchise record with an eight-game goal streak, a franchise record of 12 games for the longest point streak for a player under 22 years old, and the most consecutive games played to start an NHL career for the Devils. He also scored his first career hat trick.

If you’ve been watching the first few games this season and shouting “shoot!” when Mercer has the puck, you’re not alone. He’s had opportunities and hasn’t taken them. He seems to be missing the confidence, the smooth sureness to his game that we grew accustomed to during his sophomore season. Mercer is a player who typically finds ways to get involved, and right now, he’s not doing that as much.

Perhaps Mercer’s early struggles haven’t been talked about as much because of slow starts for bigger names. He was paired with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier to begin the regular season. None of them got off to a great start, so Lindy Ruff has played around with the lines in hopes of getting them going.

Mercer moved to a line with Erik Haula and Alexander Holtz. With Haula out, Mercer played on Michael McLeod’s wing in last Friday’s game against the New York Islanders. Ruff will likely keep shuffling the lines around as needed.

This week is a big test. The Devils had a light game schedule last week, followed by a heavier schedule this week, which includes the Devils’ second back-to-back of the season. Mercer will have opportunities to put the slow start behind him.

So, should we worry about Mercer’s slow start? Not yet. It’s too soon to fear he’s regressed or that last year was a fluke. He’s earned time to figure things out. Of the 2020 NHL Draft class’s first-round picks, Mercer ranks third in games played, goals, assists, and points. That’s impressive, considering he was the 18th pick. Only Tim Stutzle and Lucas Raymond have more points. He’s clearly further along in development than Alexander Holtz, the Devils’ top pick in 2020, who was seventh overall.

Besides, Mercer was lighting it up during the preseason. Sure, it’s worth noting that the preseason is completely different from the regular season, with a mix of NHL and AHL players in the games or sometimes largely an AHL lineup. Even still, Mercer looked sharp in four preseason games. He scored two goals on eight shots and tallied three assists. Zone entries were cleaner and he was more involved on both sides of the ice.

Mercer has time, but if he doesn’t change the narrative, it will affect his contract extension. It could ultimately hurt him that a deal wasn’t made over the summer, which is something Tom Fitzgerald talked about squaring away in the offseason. If Mercer can flip the switch and get back to the star-in-the-making he was last season, that will go a long way in contract conversations.

Hopefully, it won’t be long before he’s lighting it up again. Mercer is incredibly talented. Once he gets going, he can contribute significantly.