The New Jersey Devils made a big move by trading for goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.
They didn’t stop there; on July 1, they signed Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, and Tomas Tatar to strengthen their team. Now, the only thing left is to extend Dawson Mercer’s contract before training camp in September. Tom Fitzgerald shared on Sunday with RG.org that they’re working towards an agreement after swapping proposals.
This shows both sides are close to a deal since they’ve already exchanged offers. Despite some worries last week due to deals involving Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg with the St. Louis Blues, Mercer’s bond with New Jersey makes an offer sheet less likely . With just under $5M in salary cap space according to PuckPedia, a long-term deal seems unlikely unless Mercer takes a big discount.
Contract Talks:
Fitzgerald might use the same strategy he did with Jesper Bratt: short-term deals first. Bratt signed two short contracts before getting an eight-year extension last summer. Mercer has 64 goals and 131 points in 246 games during his entry-level contract, similar stats to Bratt’s early career.
Fans might think this is good news because it shows how much the team values its young players.
If they aim for a similar contract as Bratt’s earlier ones, Mercer could get around $6M over two years. The salary cap has gone up by $6.5M since then, so Mercer should ask for a similar share of the cap space. A $3M annual average value (AAV) would leave New Jersey with about $2M in cap space for other moves during the season.
Mercer is crucial for New Jersey’s second line and power-play unit. He hasn’t missed any games since his rookie year in 2021-22, which is great for a team often hit by injuries.
What do you think about this? Do you believe Mercer will sign soon?
