Over the first 328 games of his career, Dawson Mercer has played throughout the New Jersey Devils' top nine, from Nico Hischier's winger to third-line center. One of Mercer's biggest assets is his versatility.
Along with that versatility, he is one of the Devils' top penalty killers and has continually been praised for his overall 200-foot game.
His single-season high for goals scored is 27 from his sophomore season in 2022-23. Since then, it has declined to 20 goals in 2023-24 and 19 this past season.
Over four seasons, he has consistently demonstrated that he can be relied upon for at least 30 points, with his lowest total being 33 points and his highest being 56.
After playing the first year of a three-year contract worth $12,000,000 with an annual average value of $4,000,000, The Hockey News asked Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald if there is another level he would like to see Mercer get to offensively.
"I think when you talk about your depth scoring and consistency, scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in this league," Fitzgerald said. "It is playing the right way, consistently getting into the dirty areas. And he is a guy who doesn't shy away from those areas. You see, a lot of his goals are right around the crease. That tells me to get to the crease more, and you will have a chance to score. He didn't have a bad year. He didn't score 27 goals like he did a few years back, but we expect consistency out of him every day."
One point that Fitzgerald brought up was Mercer's contract negotiations that carried into late September.
"He didn't start (training) camp with us last year," Fitzgerald continued. "We got a brand new coach, maybe there were some conditioning issues. Everything was new, and he probably got caught behind the ball a little bit. Now, he is coming in fresh, and we are really excited to see where his game is going."
Listed as 6′0" and 180 pounds, Mercer has excellent spatial awareness, which allowed him to remain healthy and play four consecutive 82-game seasons. Still, the Devils put a specific demand on the Bay Roberts native.
"The emphasis on getting stronger in the off-season was part of our year-end talk, and it was not asked; it was demanded," Fitzgerald said.
Strength training will be at the top of Mercer's list of priorities this offseason as he looks to take another step forward in his game. The 23-year-old and the rest of New Jersey's veterans will report to training camp on Wednesday, September 17.
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