Spencer Knight could be a really good return, or he could just be a backup goalie paid to be more than that. And, as ever, a lot of the 'value' of the return was simply the retention on Seth Jones which lasts for 6 more years after this.
Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason edition
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Spencer Knight could be a really good return, or he could just be a backup goalie paid to be more than that. And, as ever, a lot of the 'value' of the return was simply the retention on Seth Jones which lasts for 6 more years after this.
- Jan 24, 2007
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If Mercer were on another team he’d be a coveted trade target. People have sellers remorse and irritation he didn’t reach the lofty heights hoped for. He could easily be another version of Adam Henrique, have him put in the work this summer and include him in your center depth as a W/C. Trading him away for a center doesn’t really improve your center depth cause you then need to add a W/C to replace him.
He stepped in and did what was required of him this year, hopefully he learned a lot from it.
Incharge1976
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- Mar 4, 2011
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He's in deals because his contract has some value @ $4M, he is still young, and he is the most tradeable piece at forward outside our stars. There isn't a big conspiracy against him. With that said, his career arc has flattened and he has regressed in certain areas. Maybe he starts improving again but maybe this is just who he is. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't have any issue with moving people if it gets us a cup.
Well, you're not really getting a better value player than him. That's just not really how things work realistically. The only way you can do that....is if there's prospects ready to step in. But well....
Trading Mercer would be a backwards move
Also, as an aside, you literally just proved what I said. If he still has value, why move him? If he doesn't, who would want him?
Billdo
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He's also regressed the last two years despite not having injury concerns. I'm not on team trade him but I also don't mind it if there's is an upgrade to be had overall. Same with the majority of the team.
Incharge1976
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Huh? That's literally how the entire world, and every trade works. You trade value for value. If Mercer had no value, you could never move him if the trade just included him. Even if he made $10M a year, had a couple years left on his contract, and produced 40 points for that, a team could potentially trade him to a team below the cap if they included some high picks because the picks have value.
Trades aren't made in a vacuum, and too many people treat them as they do.
The question is not whether Mercer has value, it's whether trading Mercer and making other moves makes the team better aka provides more value.
thebeernerd
Nico Hischier, hot Nico
- Mar 21, 2025
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He plays NHL minutes but he's a 4C at his absolute peak. Any team that has him playing higher has depth and/or injury issues.
You can have him, I guess.
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Captain3rdLine
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- Sep 24, 2020
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Jeez. I’m seeing where the disconnect is. If you think the cost of moving him and his 9M contract would be a mid round pick or two you’re delusional. It would be much higher. Now maybe not if we retain 2-3M. It’s hard to say what the market on him would be but him at 9M is going to cost a lot more than mid round picks. Pretty well everyone here would do that in a heart beat.
Dougie is not going to be given away. He will be traded for a need. And whoever we trade him for will be salary coming off the other team. It is possible the Devils retain 2 or 3 million, but Its not going to be Dougie and a 2nd for a 4th dump. If you think that then you are delusional.
- Jun 28, 2019
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"The New York Rangers traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick. The Ducks are also taking on the full $8 million salary cap charge of Trouba's contract for the rest of the season and the following year."
Captain3rdLine
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I’m never once stated they would do that. I don’t think it’s likely he’s moved at all. I think it might actually cost more than that if we went in that direction though. Any deal including one of the type you’re talking about will be very difficult to make happen and is unlikely. Odds are he’s on the team to start next season. Especially with Kovacevic injured.
Captain3rdLine
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I think the market for a Jacob Trouba type defensmen vs a Dougie Hamilton type defensmen might surprise some people.
Could be wrong but I feel pretty confident in that.
Trouba also has less term and it’s a perfect fit in Anaheim who still have lots of young guys on their ELC’s. Maybe we can find a perfect fit for Dougie that he doesn’t block.
This I agree with. With Quinn you ship him out.
Without Quinn, I think you are vastly underestimating what he does for our PP and for the likes of our best 4 forwards, specifically Jack Hughes.
I also think we need less pieces at F than you think.
We are already adding Glass+Gritysuk.
A singular 3C there to go along with Glass at 4C drastically changes the outlook for the entire bottom 6 compared to Haula+Dowling
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- Jun 28, 2019
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Generally agree but every year I see trades that make me say "I can't believe they moved that guy and his contract"
We should be be one of those teams
Incharge1976
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- Mar 4, 2011
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There is no disconnect. You made it up. I very clearly wrote, "I'd do whatever I needed to do to get rid of as much of the $9M as possible". In other words, I'm implying something is coming back or we need to retain.
With that said, I'm not looking to retain a thing. The something coming back would hopefully be $2-3M at most unless it's for a 3rd line F and we can use whatever we save to improve that same line. I really don't care if the player comes from the Dougie trade or the money saved from the Dougie trade.
Incharge tried to explain it, but I don't think he quite nailed it. A trade happens when both sides value the thing that the other side has more than the thing that they have. There are several players like Mercer around the league - young players who have established themselves as NHLers but have stagnated or gone backwards in their role and performance. A new team might think that a different role or different circumstances may help that player out. Or alternately, a team with an established player might want to deal him away for someone with more upside but whose recent performance is worse than the established player's.
The Zacha for Haula deal is instructive here - both guys had one year until UFA, the Devils wanted a veteran guy, Boston wanted to bet on upside. I think both teams were happy with the exchange.
Mercer wears a lot of hats for the Devils but my issue with him is that he doesn't do anything well. If the Devils could trade him for a 3C and then find a winger to replace him in free agency or trade, they could absolutely come out ahead.
- Mar 21, 2007
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Right but they're usually stupid with certain 'types' of players and not with others (re: Dougie not getting much in the way of interest in FA, and being traded around the league when he was elite).
Mercer led the forwards in PK minutes for the number 2 ranked PK in the league.
With Hischier suffering a lower body muscle strain when dies he get his shoulder surgery?
I would not give him away but i am also not afraid to lose a trade invoilving Dougie if it means a win later with upgrades from that cap space. We could see deal like when we traded for Cotter and gave up Holtz and Schmid. We might give up Dougie in a deal we clearly lose but still someone who can help us.
Yes that is how futures works. They have risk associated. Whether knight works out or not from now on does not change his value at the time of the trade, which was Chicago getting someone they planned to be their starting goalie of the future
- Mar 21, 2007
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From one team, nobody else was really in on him I’m sure in part because of the shock and awe contract we offered. Not saying it was a bad contract, we had the money and a need…but even the peak Dougie was strangely undervalued by most of the league.
