The New Jersey Devils are starting the 2026-27 with more forward depth than they’ve had in a long time. After prioritizing building up the forward group in the offseason, Sunny Mehta has built one of the better forward groups in the Eastern Conference in his first season as Devils GM.
He added Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Amadeus Lombardi without losing anyone of significance.
With two top-six forwards joining the Devils, and Rodrigues getting the first crack at third-line center, it puts one homegrown player in an interesting position. Dawson Mercer has literally not missed a game since joining the Devils as a rookie in 2021. In 2022-23, it looked like the Devils had another star on their hands. He had 56 points and 27 goals for a team that was on an all-season heater.
The 22-23 Devils were the best version of this team we’ve ever seen. Jack Hughes played all season. Nico Hischier was a legit Selke Trophy contender. The offense was amazing, but the defense and goaltending didn’t hurt their pursuit of greatness. So much went right that season.
Then, just as much went wrong in 2024-25. While not high up on the list, the fact that Mercer regressed that season was significant. He want from 27 goals and 56 points to 20 goals and 33 points. He was still scoring enough, but his playmaking essentially went out the window. He only had 13 assists on the season.
Dawson Mercer was still getting top-six opportunities
Fast forward to today, and a few down seasons was enough for the Devils to essentially staple Mercer to the bottom six. Right now, Evangelista and Mantha are getting the first crack at the Hughes and Hischier lines. If for some reason Sheldon Keefe has to replace them, one might expect Mercer to get the first crack since he has a long history in the Devils’ top six, but the 24 year old doesn’t likely get that.
Arseny Gritsyuk would probably get first dibs on a top-six opportunity. After him, we even think Rodrigues and Connor Brown might get an opportunity.
However, if we see the Mercer that was growing in 2023, things could change quickly. Mercer has an opportunity to prove he’s worthy of the top six, but it’s up to him to prove it in a lesser role. Gritsyuk and Rodrigues, who are Mercer’s current linemates, can definitely help him offensively and defensively. This line might be exactly what the Devils need to get Mercer going.
If he doesn’t, he may not be a part of their long-term future.
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