Devils to sign former first-round pick to three-year deal

Mercer, 23 next month, was one of four notable RFAs still left unsigned after training camps began across the league earlier this week. Now, only Nikita Alexandrov (Blues), Cole Perfetti (Jets) and Jeremy Swayman (Bruins) remain without deals among RFAs who logged significant NHL time last season.

The 2020 No. 18 overall pick is coming off a down year, making it easy to shift negotiations toward a bridge deal rather than shelling out cash for a long-term pact with greater risk for the team. The Newfoundland and Labrador native still managed to hit the 20-goal mark but posted career lows in assists (13), points (33) and rating (-26).

Mercer is a skilled shooter, finishing on 14.3% of his 449 shots on goal over his three-year career. He’s also proven highly durable — he’s yet to miss a game since making his NHL debut on the opening night of the 2021-22 regular season.

While a natural center, Mercer has spent most of his time on the wing in the NHL. That’s partly because the Devils have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes locked in as their top two centers but also because of Mercer’s struggles in the faceoff dot. He’s improving in that regard, winning 119 of his 265 draws last year (44.9 FOW%), but still has a career win rate of 39%.

He’s flashed hints of his offensive ceiling, posting 56 points in 2022-23 during New Jersey’s resurgent 112-point campaign. His production and possession numbers have primarily risen and fallen with the team’s record, so with the Devils primed to return to postseason competition next spring, expect a rebound from Mercer.

General manager Tom Fitzgerald said they were close to a deal over a month ago, but it took quite a lot of work to finalize. There were near-daily reports over the past few days that the Devils and Mercer were feverishly working toward getting him signed and in training camp as soon as possible.

After averaging a career-high 17:13 per game last season, including significant time on both special teams units, Mercer will look to stick in a more consistent top-six role at even strength in 2024-25. He bounced around plenty last year, not recording more than 100 minutes of ice time with a single set of linemates, per MoneyPuck. Early line rushes at training camp, accounting for placeholders, suggest he could open the season alongside Hughes and Timo Meier.

The Devils now have $976K in projected cap space with an open roster spot after Mercer signed, per PuckPedia. That figure assumes defenseman Luke Hughes will start the season on standard injured reserve with a shoulder injury, not long-term injured reserve.

Keeping Mercer’s cap hit to $4M allows the Devils to carry a full 23-man roster on opening night without needing to place Hughes on LTIR to open up cap space. Santeri Hatakka is the likeliest candidate to fill in as an extra defender on the NHL roster after posting two assists and a +5 rating in 12 games in fringe action for New Jersey last season.

A three-year deal doesn’t walk Mercer to unrestricted free agency. He’ll still be under team control when his deal expires after the 2026-27 season.