Both forward Dawson Mercer and defenseman Simon Nemec are attractive trade pieces for the New Jersey Devils, but Mercer's versatility and reliability make him a more intriguing option.
Mercer is a versatile forward who can play wing or center. His breakout season in 2022-23 allotted him 27 goals and 56 points. All of this is on top of the fact that he has not missed a game in his career and has a very manageable cap hit ($4,000,000 per season) for the next two seasons. Nemec on the other hand is a potential No. 1 right-shot defender and has a skillset that borders on irreplaceable in his puck-moving ability.
The Devils could certainly fetch a sizable return for Nemec to bolster their hopeful-playoff run. However, Mercer brings two more years of experience when it comes to age and that along with his versatility and reliability make him a more intriguing invitation to the other teams in the National Hockey League.
But, here's the thing ... New Jersey cannot trade him. At least certainly not now.
Why the Devils can't trade Dawson Mercer, especially now
As Pucks and Pitchforks previously reported, during the ESPN broadcast of the New Jersey Devils 4-3 loss against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night, Emily Kaplan gave an update on Jack Hughes's injury status.
It was not one Devils fans want to hear.
While playing the Vegas Golden Knights, Hughes got tied up with Jack Eichel and went hard into the boards. He ran into the boards with his shoulder, which is an even bigger concern. Hughes had surgery on his shoulder last year, which ended his season prematurely. If it's another shoulder injury, this now becomes a long-term concern. The game later resulted in a 2-0 loss for New Jersey.
This was then followed by the previously mentioned 4-3 loss in which Hughes was missing from the ice. Instead, he was in Denver, Colorado getting his shoulder evaluated at the same location he had his shoulder operation last year.
.@emilymkaplan on ESPN+ pregame: “#NJDevils Jack Hughes is gonna be out for a bit, and what I was told is that he’s deciding whether he needs to get surgery or not, which will dictate the timeline.”
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) March 5, 2025
Clearly, the Devils are not adjusting well to being without their leading scorer.
But Mercer is also an offensive producer for New Jersey. He is within the Devils' top ten when it comes to point producers — coming in at No. 8 with 26 points across 13 goals so far this year. Against the Stars just March 4rd he posted four shots on goal.
Without Hughes the New Jersey Devils playoff hopes hangs in the balance. In the Metropolitan Division, Detroit most recently lost in regulation. On regulation wins, the Hudson River rival of the New York Rangers jumped ahead of the Red Wings in the standings and are back in the playoff race. The Rangers now have 66 points; the Devils' most recent losses put them only six points behind the Blueshirts.
While Mercer is the better trade piece for the Devils over Nemec, it's not like New Jersey can afford to get rid of any somewhat significant part of their offense if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive while Hughes' status is unclear.