The New Jersey Devils have completed their offseason, although it took longer than most would have hoped. On Friday morning, rumors were confirmed that Dawson Mercer had agreed to a three-year deal to stay with the New Jersey Devils. The news was first confirmed by TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Three years at $4 mil per for Dawson Mercer and the Devils. Sounds like it was finalized last night during the Jets/Pats game. 😂
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 20, 2024
The extra note about signing the deal during the New York Jets-New England Patriots game is a nice touch. Nobody wanted to watch that game, and it got the Devils and Mercer over the finish line.
Mercer is an essential part of this team. The Devils clearly held a spot open for him on the first day of training camp, putting newly-signed PTO Kevin Labanc in the right wing spot next to Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar. Mercer should take that spot on his first day in camp, whether that’s Friday or after a few days of conditioning.
It’s important for Mercer to get in camp as soon as he could. Not only is he playing under a new system with head coach Sheldon Keefe, but he’s coming off his worst season as a pro. Mercer had a career-low 33 points despite once again playing all 82 games. In 2022-23, Mercer showed flashes of being a star player, but the Devils saw that in fewer spots in 2023-24.
So, under a new regime, Mercer has a chance to prove he’s much better than what he showed last season. He’s still just 22 years old, so the sky is the limit for him.
Mercer was given $12 million total, with a $4 million cap hit. The deal is significant in a few ways. For one, it gives the Devils enough cap space to sign one of their PTOs to an NHL contract if they so desire. They also continue to keep Mercer’s RFA rights. At the end of this contract, Mercer will be arbitration eligible, but he won’t be an unrestricted free agent, which is the most important right the Devils hold.
This was great news to wake up to on a Friday morning. Dawson Mercer is back, and the Devils don’t have to deal with another contract negotiation for three more seasons.