The chatter around trading Dawson Mercer has been quiet for parts of the summer, but as the New Jersey Devils' roster retools under new management, his name keeps floating around as prime trade bait. With general manager Sunny Mehta looking to aggressively shape the Devils' secondary scoring and middle six, dangling a 24-year-old forward with proven production is an easy trap to fall into.
Trading Mercer right now would be a massive mistake for Mehta. He shouldn't be shipping Mercer out; he should be locking him down on a long-term contract extension.
Mehta Can't Afford An Early Mistake
Mercer brings a valuable combination of consistency and scoring to New Jersey's lineup. Since making his NHL debut, Mercer has played every single game of his five-year career. He has proved to be a durable asset for a Devils team that has repeatedly dealt with severe injury bugs to its star core.
On top of that, Mercer has already hit the 20-goal mark three times in his young career. Even in seasons where his offensive production dips or he shifts up and down the top nine, 20 goals is his absolute floor. Truthfully, if they are going to package Mercer in a deal, acquiring a bigger, more impactful player like Dylan Larkin makes sense. However, outside of that, it'll be a huge mistake for Mehta to make.
At $4 million AAV on his current deal, Mercer gives New Jersey an extremely team-friendly cap hit. Even though it's the last year of his contract, this raise likely won't cost the Devils too much. Mercer could ask for around $6-6.5 million on his next deal. And for Mehta, he needs to get the term somewhere in the neighborhood of five to six years.
By stepping up and extending Mercer early, the front office can buy his remaining prime years at a reasonable AAV before the league-wide salary cap explodes even further. Keeping a dependable, durable, home-grown top-nine forward who thrives in high-danger areas isn't just good cap management. It is how contender rosters maintain their competitive window.
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