Value of: Dawson Mercer

dgibb10

Registered User
Feb 29, 2024
3,995
3,620
You don't put your best two PKers out on the same shift because then your second unit sucks. Hischier is your PK1 center, your PK2 center is Erik Haula who needs a lot more help than Hischier does. C1 goes with W2 and W1 goes with C2 to balance out the units otherwise PK2 is going to get blown up.

Siegenthaler is 4th on the Devils defense in PK TOI/game and I'd argue he's probably the 2nd best PK guy after Pesce. Both Pesce and Siegnthaler are below Kovacevic in PK TOI, and Siegenthaler is also behind Dillon. This argument doesn't hold any water.

You cannot be good at the PK if you chase as much as Mercer does, he gets caught going down low and ignoring the open man way too often. I understand that it looks like he's trying really hard out there when he skates but that doesn't make him a good penalty killer. People thought Zach Parise was an elite PKer too and he he had the same issues, he was a dog chasing cars and was largely a product of getting carried by Zajac.
Mercer PK opposition

Bratt PK opposition

You can look through and clearly see if you sort by team.

Against WSH, Van, Utah, Tor (less prevalent here), Tampa, STL, Seattle, Ott, etc etc all the way through.

Mercer against elite PP1 guys, bratt against a lot more PP2s.

To highlight the difference, I'd point out our PP1 produces at more than DOUBLE the rate of our PP2, and that's a PP2 that includes BOTH Luke Hughes and Timo Meier, something not a lot of PP2s can match
 

bernmeister

Registered User
Jun 11, 2010
29,004
4,383
Da Big Apple
Mercer is a quality get but Rs, who can offer elite level upgrade in Panarin for this season and next, while retaining max half, are flexible about who is added for cap balance. Howev, prime core of the deal has to be Nemec and Silvayev.

Granted that's a lot, but then again, bread is elite
 

My3Sons

Nobody told me there'd be days like these...
Sponsor
Mercer is a quality get but Rs, who can offer elite level upgrade in Panarin for this season and next, while retaining max half, are flexible about who is added for cap balance. Howev, prime core of the deal has to be Nemec and Silvayev.

Granted that's a lot, but then again, bread is elite
What are you ranting on about here? Nemec and Silayev for Panarin? Put down the bong.
 

SteveCangialosi123

Registered User
Feb 17, 2012
30,001
54,602
NJ
Laughable if you think that because of numbers that Bratt is better on the PK than Mercer. I'll ask you this, on the PK, who are the first two forwards over the boards? It's almost always Nico and Mercer. This means they are getting PP1 at full energy. Bratt shows up in either the 2nd or 3rd wave, this means he's getting either PP1 on the back end of their shift or PP2 on the regular.

As for Mercer not being tradeable, I don't think that's what anyone is attempting to say. He certainly is tradeable, but he doesn't have the value to bring back a true top 6 player that can replicate what he does on the PK.
I don’t believe there’s a single thing on the ice that Mercer does better than Bratt in any zone.
 

Oneiro

Registered User
Mar 28, 2013
10,014
12,289
At this point, Bratt is even more physical than Mercer, which I never would have bet on in a thousand years.

Mercer's stagnation is one of the few things preventing this team from becoming as lights out as they can be.

I still want to hold on to him because I think he can work through this - he was good to start the year - but the clock really should be ticking. But I was really hoping he'd turn into a Lekhonen / Danault-type and he's not even in the building right now.
 

WhiskeyYerTheDevils

will post scouting reports for food**
Sponsor
Apr 27, 2005
35,580
34,617
**or compliments
I don’t believe there’s a single thing on the ice that Mercer does better than Bratt in any zone.
Yeah I have to agree. But that's true about Bratt and the majority of the league, so it's hard to hold that against Mercer.

Bratt is just an incredible player.

Mercer's stagnation is one of the few things preventing this team from becoming as lights out as they can be.
Yeah, but it also allowed us to resign him at a doable number. Silver linings.
 

Oneiro

Registered User
Mar 28, 2013
10,014
12,289
Yeah, but it also allowed us to resign him at a doable number. Silver linings.
In pretty much any endeavor in life, I'd rather get better performance, compensate it fairly and figure out and work around the issues elsewhere.

This is a cap that will rise even faster than 04-13. Even Luke's next deal will probably look cheap halfway in. There was always going to be a short term squeeze - Palat and/or Hamilton will have to be figured out at some point.
 

WhiskeyYerTheDevils

will post scouting reports for food**
Sponsor
Apr 27, 2005
35,580
34,617
**or compliments
In pretty much any endeavor in life, I'd rather get better performance, compensate it fairly and figure out and work around the issues elsewhere.

This is a cap that will rise even faster than 04-13. Even Luke's next deal will probably look cheap halfway in.
Yeah, but this isn't like normal life - it's a zero sum game because of the cap,
 

wintersej

Registered User
Nov 26, 2011
23,427
19,477
North Andover, MA
Bruins should definitely be interested but they don't real fit the bill for what NJ is looking for. Frederic could potentially make sense as he brings a different element to the lineup that could be of interest to NJ -- but Frederic being a UFA probably kills any chance of a deal.

I’d be annoyed if they let DeBrusk walk and traded big assets for Mercer. Inconsistent winger for inconsistent winger.
 

bernmeister

Registered User
Jun 11, 2010
29,004
4,383
Da Big Apple
What are you ranting on about here? Nemec and Silayev for Panarin? Put down the bong.
dissent all you want that is yr right
BUT
like I said season and a half of elite bread max retained COMMANDS that, esp since Nemec is not crushing it and is in the A and we are going on projected value from 2OA in the draft
 

My3Sons

Nobody told me there'd be days like these...
Sponsor
dissent all you want that is yr right
BUT
like I said season and a half of elite bread max retained COMMANDS that, esp since Nemec is not crushing it and is in the A and we are going on projected value from 2OA in the draft
NJ doesn’t want Panarin. NJ won’t make a trade of that nature with the Rangers. You know this
 
  • Like
Reactions: WhiskeyYerTheDevils

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad