The Devils proceed to grind away at contract negotiations with restricted free agent ahead Dawson Mercer, and there’s a way of optimism the 2 sides will agree on a bridge deal earlier than coaching camp opens Wednesday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic experiences.
Talks gave the impression to be at a standstill for a lot of the summer season till New Jersey normal supervisor Tom Fitzgerald advised James Murphy of Responsible Gambling final month that he’d exchanged proposals with Mercer’s camp and was working towards an settlement. A number of experiences since then indicated a short-term contract was the likeliest final result. PHR’s Brian La Rose examined possible comparables for Mercer’s pending deal earlier this month, exhausting any long-term choices.
The Devils have lower than $5M in projected cap house to get a deal achieved, per PuckPedia. That quantity might enhance barely to start the season in the event that they place defenseman Luke Hughes on long-term injured reserve whereas rehabbing a shoulder harm. Nonetheless, they’d have to clear sufficient cap house to activate him rapidly, as his absence isn’t anticipated to stretch previous early November.
A bridge cope with a sub-$5M cap hit appears truthful to each side after the season Mercer simply had. The 2020 first-round choose’s third NHL season was his worst, posting profession lows in assists (13), score (-26), and photographs on objective (134). That got here regardless of a career-high 17:13 ATOI and enjoying in all 82 video games but once more, persevering with his career-opening ironman streak.
But Mercer, who turns 23 in October, hit 20 targets for the second time and tasks as a dependable, versatile top-six utility piece who can play any ahead place, even when his total manufacturing this season mirrored somebody higher fitted to a third-line function offensively. After hitting 56 factors in his sophomore marketing campaign, it’s clear Mercer’s contract 12 months was a bump within the highway — one with unlucky results on his short-term earnings.