Devils Need to Spark Mercer for Final 10 Games

Dawson Mercer has just 4 points in his last 18 games. The New Jersey Devils need to find a way to spark him to close 2024-25

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There's no other way to put it. It's been another disappointing season for Dawson Mercer. He has 15 goals and 28 points in 71 games, putting him on pace to finish with around the same 33 points he totaled a season ago. Had he taken a step forward, he could have solved some of the New Jersey Devils' depth issues.

It's probably too late to expect him to flip a switch, but the Devils could use a hot streak from Mercer to end the season. How could Sheldon Keefe find a way to get more out of him? Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators may offer the best solution.

Mercer's 2024-25 Season So Far

I'm not sure where it's gone wrong for Mercer, but he's not the player he was during the 2022-23 season when he nearly totaled 60 points. Maybe Keefe deserves some blame for placing Mercer in a third-line role for most of the season, but it's not like he's merited a promotion up the lineup.

The one thing Mercer has done well this season is create offense off the rush. His forecheck involvement has been better than good, too. Otherwise, it's been bleak.

Mercer is creating no in-zone offense. He's not shooting the puck as often as he was in past seasons, and he's not generating quality scoring chances. He used to excel at getting shots off from high-danger passes, but even that has regressed:

Some of Mercer's passing metrics grade out a little better, but the fall-off has been dramatic. Could his usage/deployment play a part in it? It's possible. He hasn't always had the greatest quality of teammates this season.

Mercer has spent 145 minutes with Paul Cotter and Erik Haula, and the results have been so-so. They've controlled over 50 percent of the scoring and high-danger chances, but their expected goals share (xG%) sits at 49.7 percent, and they've been outscored 8-4 in their five-on-five minutes.

Mercer has had to shift to center since Jack Hughes' injury, with his most common linemates being Tomáš Tatar and Ondřej Palát. That line has gotten absolutely cooked at five-on-five, totaling a 34.27 xG%. That's not a surprise since there aren't play drivers on that unit, and Mercer has generally struggled as a center in the NHL.