Almost a month ago, I asked what was going on with Dawson Mercer. While it may have been a little early to ask that question at the time, it seems to have paid off. Since then, a few offer documents have been submitted, with the St. Louis Blues targeting RFAs that the Edmonton Oilers may have a hard time keeping. Will Dawson Mercer now be targeted in a similar manner? Jared recently argued that they shouldn’t worry. For the kind of compensation Mercer would likely receive from an offer document, we’d be talking about at least a second-round pick – or even a first- and third-round pick. Not many teams can stomach that, and the Devils can probably match most offers unless someone makes a ridiculously high offer that would include an even larger compensation package. While the Edmonton Oilers are bordering on the salary cap, the Devils would likely have enough room over the next few years to retaliate against any team that even offers Dawson Mercer a contract, just as the Carolina Hurricanes did to the Montreal Canadiens when they tried to sign Sebastian Aho.

Still, the New Jersey Devils need to get their affairs in order. Training camp is just a month away, and signing Mercer sooner makes it easier to resolve other issues. Jared also asked a month ago whether the Devils should sign another forward, and it seems we’re now at the point in the offseason where the remaining free agents are taking short-term contracts and PTOs. Three days ago, the Washington Capitals signed Jakub Vrana to a PTO. I fully expect Vrana to make Washington’s roster, as they’ve put together a pretty decent group to make another run at it in one of Alex Ovechkin’s final years. You can’t really blame them for trying — and they’ve handled their situation pretty well with Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie going on the LTIR list. I’m not a huge Pierre-Luc Dubois fan, but having him means Dylan Strome will likely play on the second line. Adding Andrew Mangiapane to a wing group that otherwise consists of Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and Sonny Milano was also a very valuable move for their situation in my eyes. Now that Jakub Vrana is looking to join the roster, it suddenly seems like the Capitals 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 the defense to play very well in front of Charlie Lindgren, who helped them get to the playoffs last year.

The Devils have a lot to prove in the 2024-25 season. With the squad as it is now, the Devils are a much Confidence in the idea that two of Dawson Mercer, Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, Erik Haula or Tomas Tatar can stay in the top 6. While I see Dawson Mercer as a strong candidate to be glued to Jack Hughes’ hip, the left side of that line is a problem with Tyler Toffoli no longer there. Is Ondrej Palat a real option if he caps out at 30 points? Would Stefan Noesen be a better option than Palat even if that means having two right wingers on the same line? Since my base expectation for Tomas Tatar is that he not He desperately needs to recapture his 2022-23 form and since I believe Erik Haula is best suited as a third-line center, the options aren’t ideal right now.

After the Devils sign Mercer, they will have an idea of ​​how much more they can add. If they go to the salary cap with Mercer or Mercer and an additional contract, they will have to pay at least a couple million in performance bonuses next season, which will negatively impact their salary cap. That’s something to keep in mind, as they could potentially avoid penalties by signing Mercer for a year of lesser value and not adding anyone else to the roster. Otherwise, they could try to lower salary through a trade. They could also send Kurtis MacDermid down, which could result in some salary savings since his contract is at the “buried threshold.” I doubt any team would claim MacDermid based on his contract, and he would still be paid the same rate he would in the NHL.

If MacDermid were sent down, the Devils could add Johnathan Kovacevic, Nolan Foote and an unspecified additional player as extras in addition to their current “projected lineup.” They could also keep Nathan Bastian, who many fans have mentioned as a possible trade or waiver option. Personally, I think Bastian has enough potential to be a positive contributor in the 2024-25 season, especially on a fourth line with Paul Cotter and Curtis Lazar. Last season, Lazar and Haula did a good job with Bastian on the ice, making more positive offensive and defensive impacts. When guys like Tomas Nosek, Brendan Smith and Alex Holtz were on the ice with him, things were generally not goodWith these three from the squad, Bastian could very well good seasonHe just needs to stay healthy.

But that’s just it. Bastian played 54 games last season and 43 games the year before that. It wasn’t until the 2021-22 season that Bastian played a full schedule after returning to the Devils via waivers. Personally, I’m concerned about his health. He’s had several shoulder injuries over the past few years, and even he mentioned how tough the lingering pain was at the end of the 2022-23 season. This injury seems to be going back to November 2022. If Bastian can’t take care of his shoulder, he has to worry about his long-term health, not to mention his career or season. This is a guy who made his living in the NHL being a productive hitter and forechecker. One of the players Jared mentioned in his article last month was Cal Clutterbuck, who is still unsigned. Clutterbuck would take a lot of pressure off Bastian if Nate gets injured again. And it would also give him time to work on his shoulder if the lineup needs a more physically strong player than Kurtis MacDermid.

It’s nice to have a veteran, physical player in the bottom six. However, the Devils could fill that need internally. Nolan Foote, with six goals in 23 NHL games, is probably good enough to fill out the lineup if an injury occurs. Brian Halonen, a right-handed forward with a shot, can hold his own on a fourth line. Personally, I’d prefer the Devils to grant a paid vacation, given the Capitals recently brought back Vrana. If Sheldon Keefe has to put a few random players on the fourth line, it doesn’t matter. But if the top six get injured, are we comfortable with the forward depth stepping in now to fill the void? I’m most certainly not.

Of the players still on the free agent market, I think James van Riemsdyk and Max Pacioretty are the only players who can compete on the second line offensively. Van Riemsdyk averaged over half a point per game last season, and he’s the only remaining free agent who can say that. Pacioretty was just under that, but his total lack of scoring (just four in 47 games, with 19 assists) can have two sides. It could be that Pacioretty is too old to score goals – that happens. But he could come back a full year after recovering, and his playmaking skills were still there, providing a decent foundation for a midfielder. Otherwise, there are a few players who aren’t quite up to their level in my opinion, but could probably compete with enough veteran know-how. Those two would be Blake Wheeler – who I expect to either retire or sign with the Rangers – and Kyle Okposo, who could very well retire after winning the Stanley Cup. I wouldn’t mind if the Devils signed any of those four players. Other than them? I’d probably just stick with internal depth.

But first things first: Tom Fitzgerald needs to sign Dawson Mercer for the season. Once that’s done, I hope he makes one final move and gets the team ready for training camp.

Your opinion

With just over a month to go before preseason begins, what do you think about this squad? What area are you most concerned about? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed my article last week about Chico and Doc’s respective books, or the article about Jaromir Jagr the week before, please feel free to recommend other books or historical topics you might want to read before camp begins. Thanks again to everyone.