The New Jersey Devils had a very busy offseason, especially when it comes to upgrading the offense. New general manager Sunny Mehta went out and signed left winger Anthony Mantha, traded for right winger Luke Evangelista, and also traded for center Evan Rodrigues. With all of these moves, the lines have shifted a ton, leaving Dawson Mercer in a spot where we truly don't know where he would fit on this team.
Devils winger Dawson Mercer is currently projected to play Right Wing on the third line alongside Evan Rodrigues at Center and Arseny Gritsyuk at Left Wing. It has been a summer full of trade rumors that have led to nothing for Mercer; he'll be viewed as an important piece of this Devils team if he succeeds on the ice.
In the 2025/26 season, Dawson Mercer scored 20 goals and added 42 assists in 82 games. His 5-on-5 Corsi rate was 52.6% last season, a stat that tracks all shot attempts while a player is on the ice; it reflects the puck possession and offensive zone time a team accumulates, which leads to shot attempts. All shot attempts include missed shots and blocked shots, not just shots on goal.
Dawson Mercer is still looking for his place on the New Jersey Devils
The Devils also generated 51.8% of expected goals during 5-on-5 play with Dawson Mercer on the ice. The underlying numbers seem to favor Mercer compared to the common stats that people tend to use. His offensive numbers haven't improved much year to year since his 56-point season in 2022; over the next three seasons, he put up 33 points in 2023, 36 in 2024, and 42 in 2025.
The Devils need Mercer to take that next step to really put this team over the hump; an improved season while playing on a bottom-six line would be massive not only for Mercer but for New Jersey as a whole. A great stat is that Dawson Mercer has yet to miss a game, playing 410 straight games since October 15, 2021, when he made his NHL debut.
Mercer still brings a lot to the table for this New Jersey Devils lineup, but with so many additions pushing him down the lineup, he's almost become an afterthought. We'll see if that helps him take the pressure off or if he develops into a key bottom-six contributor.
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