Confirmed with Link: (F) Dawson Mercer re-signs with NJD (3 years, $4M AAV)

[MVP Zacha]

Absolutely love this kid.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1837572446335259138

 

[NJDevs26]

I don’t get worrying about the cap three years from now and making declarative statements about there being no money for Mercer as if we have any real clue what it’s going to be and what kind of contract he’ll be able to command by then, Fitz doesn’t even know the answer to either question. Heck for all we know money might not even factor in when Mercer becomes a UFA anyway.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Absolutely love this kid.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1837572446335259138

He’s impossible to hate. You can tell how much he loves the game, and how appreciative he is to the organization for his opportunities to this point.

I’m stoked to see what he does this year.

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

Do you have enough bourbon, guns, and Lincoln Continentals to get through?

Im in New Hampshire instilling my body with the thought of to "Live Free or Die" !

 

[Aurinko]

Really love players that can do anything for the team, but still dont break the bank.

Props to everyone involved. GM for sandbagging and Dawson for not asking too much.

 

[My3Sons]

Im in New Hampshire instilling my body with the thought of to "Live Free or Die" !

That’s another way of saying “Get Your Stinkin’ Hands Off My Stuff”

 

[MadDevil]

I've explained my reasoning... I am afraid this contract makes it more likely to see Mercer move on...

Not because he's mad, because the money won't be there... he got this contract to make sure everyone else is going to get their big pay day.

Oh no, we may have too many good players to afford them all. The horror!

 

[HBK27]

So that third year is my gripe...and I'm afraid that this deal might put Dawson in a more likely position to never get a fair deal in NJ. When really we could have locked him up so easily for a team friendly number this off season...all we had to do is not sign Tatar.

If we don't sign Tatar, there's a hole in the top 6 - who would you then move up to take his spot?

Tatar's $1.8M contract eats up roughly $1M in cap space that could've been used for Mercer. With a fully healthy 23-man roster and Tatar replaced by a guy making league minimum, the Devils would open the season with $1,951,103 is cap space. So, if the Devils had not signed Tatar they still wouldn't have been able to offer Mercer a long-term contract above $5.95M.

I don't think he's signing a long-term deal at that rate. Even if he did, the Devils would not want to be pressed right up against the cap this season and be unable to accrue any cap space for the trade deadline.

Given that, what contract do you think Mercer should've signed and what additional moves should the team have made (or not made) to fit Mercer's higher cap hit in?