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About a month ago, I asked what happened to Dawson Mercer.While it might have been a little early to ask the question at the time, it seems worth asking. Since then, several offer sheets have been submitted, with the St. Louis Blues targeting restricted free agents that the Edmonton Oilers may have trouble retaining. Now, will Dawson Mercer be targeted in a similar manner? Jared recently argued that, no, they shouldn’t worry. For the type of compensation Mercer could potentially receive from an offer sheet, we’d be talking about at least a second-round pick — or a first- and third-round pick. Not many teams can handle that, and the Devils could probably match most offers, unless someone makes a ridiculously high offer that provides a larger compensation package. Still, while the Edmonton Oilers are close to the salary cap, the Devils may have enough free space in the next few years to retaliate against any team that offers Dawson Mercer a contract, because Carolina Hurricanes The Montreal Canadiens made this move when they tried to sign Sebastian Aho.
despite this, New Jersey Devils Need to get things done. With training camp only a month away, signing Mercer early will make it easier for them to deal with other issues. Jared also asked a month ago if the Devils should add another depth forwardand now we seem to have reached that point in the offseason where the remaining free agents are signing short-term contracts and PTOs. Three days ago, the Washington Capitals signed Jakub Vrana to a PTO. I fully expect Vrana to make the Washington roster, as they’ve assembled a pretty good group that could make another big step forward in Alex Ovechkin’s final years. You can’t blame them for trying — and they’ve handled Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie’s needing to go on the long-term injured list pretty well. I’m not a huge fan of Pierre-Luc Dubois, but having him around means Dylan Strome will likely see action on the second line. Adding Andrew Mangiapane to the wing group of Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Sonny Milano would also be a valuable move for their situation, in my opinion. Now, with Jakub Vrana looking to make the roster, the Capitals suddenly appear to have a viable forward group. With John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk and new additions Matt Roy and Jakub Chychrun, the Capitals also have a defensive unit that is playing well under Charlie Lindgren, who helped the Capitals reach the playoffs last year.
The Devils have a lot to prove in the 2024-25 season. Based on the current roster, the Devils are a lot of Trust that two of Dawson Mercer, Andre Palat, Stefan Noeson, Eric Haula, or Tomas Tatar can stay in the top six. While I think Dawson Mercer is a strong candidate to replace Jack Hughes, the left side of the line is a question since Tyler Toffoli is gone. Is Andre Palat a real option if he tops out at 30? Would Stefan Noeson be better than Palat, even if it means having two right wingers on the same line? Because my base expectation for Tomas Tatar is that he will no He won’t necessarily regain his 2022-23 form, and I think Erik Haula is best suited as a third-line center, so this isn’t an ideal option right now.
Once the Devils sign Mercer, they will know how much more they can add. If they keep hitting the cap with Mercer or Mercer and an additional contract, they will be obligated to pay at least a few million dollars in performance bonuses next season, which will adversely affect their salary cap. This is something to keep in mind, because they can avoid the penalty by signing Mercer to a one-year, lower-value contract and not adding other players. Otherwise, they can try to reduce salary through trades. They can also move Kurtis McDermid down, which may save some salary cap space, Because his contract is equivalent to a “buried threshold.” I doubt any team would sign McDermid for contractual reasons and he would continue to be paid the same as he was in the NHL.
Moving McDermid would allow the Devils to add additional players like Johnathan Kovacevic, Nolan Foote, and an unspecified other player to their current “expected roster.” It would also allow them to keep Nathan Bastian, who many fans have mentioned as a potential trade or waiver option. Personally, I think Bastian has enough to contribute positively in 2024-25, especially on a fourth line that features Paul Cote and Curtis Lazar. Lazar and Haula performed well last season with Bastian on the ice, making a more positive impact on both offense and defense. When players like Tomas Nosek, Brendan Smith, and Alex Holtz are on the ice with him, things usually work out. not good. With these three absent, Bastian is likely to Good season… He just needs to stay healthy.
Here’s the thing, though. Bastien played in 54 games last season and 43 the year before. Only in the 2021-22 season did Bastien play a full game after returning to the Devils via waivers. Personally, I’m concerned about his health. He’s had multiple shoulder injuries over the past few years, He even mentioned how tough it would be to finish the 2022-23 season with lingering injuries. That The injury appears to be dated back to November 2022. If Bastien can’t take care of his shoulder, there will be concerns about his long-term health, not to mention his career or season. This player has made a living in the NHL by being a prolific hitter and forward. One of the players Jared mentioned in his article last month was Cal Clutterbuck, who is still without a contract. Clutterbuck will take a lot of pressure off of Bastien if Nate gets hurt again, and it also means he’ll have time to take care of his shoulder when the lineup needs a more skilled physical presence than Kurtis McDermid.
It’s nice to have experienced players excelling in the back six. However, the Devils still might be able to fill internal needs. Nolan Foote has six goals in 23 NHL games, and he might be enough to fill in the lineup if injuries occur. Right-handed shooting forward Brian Halonen could hold his own on the fourth line. Personally, I’d prefer the Devils give a PTO, considering the Capitals recently re-acquired Vrana. If Sheldon Keefe needs to insert some random player into the fourth line, so be it. But if injuries occur in the front six, are we satisfied with the forward depth that’s filling in now? I certainly am not.
Of the guys left on the free-agent market, the only ones I think can hold their own in the secondary are James van Riemsdyk and Max Pacioretty. Van Riemsdyk scored more than half a point per game last season, and he’s the only free agent who can do that. Pacioretty’s performance was slightly worse, but he’s completely goalless (just four goals, 19 assists in 47 games), which could be one of two things. It could be that Pacioretty is too old to score—and that does happen. But he could probably get back into form in a year after rehabbing, and his playmaking ability is still a nice foundation for a middle-six player. Otherwise, there are a few players I don’t think are at their level yet, but with enough veteran skills, they could probably hold their own. Those two are Blake Wheeler—who I expect to either retire or sign with the Rangers—and Kyle Oposo, who will likely win the 2016-17 season. Stanley Cup… I’d love for the Devils to acquire any of these four players. Other than them? I’d probably just stick with interior depth.
But first things first – Tom Fitzgerald needs to keep Dawson Mercer for the full season. Once that’s done, I expect him to make one final push to get this team ready for training camp.
Your thoughts
With just over a month left in the preseason, what do you think of this roster? What are you most concerned about? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
Also, if you liked my article last week Chico and Doc’s respective books or This week’s priority article is about Jaromir Jagrr, before the camp starts, feel free to recommend other books or historical topics you might be interested in. Thanks again, everyone.
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