Devils Have Prime Offer Sheet Candidate

The New Jersey Devils must focus on re-signing restricted free agent Dawson Mercer before the forward is tendered an offer sheet from another franchise.

Apr 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Jersey Devils center Dawson Mercer (91) controls the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The New Jersey Devils are one of the biggest winners of the 2024 offseason. They brought in one of the best available defensemen in free agency and traded for a new starting goaltender. They also hired a new head coach, bringing in former Toronto Maple Leafs' coach Sheldon Keefe as their new bench boss.

With these additions, the Devils are hoping they have done enough to return to the postseason during the 2024-2025 season. But there is still one important piece of business to take care of: re-signing restricted free agent (RFA) forward Dawson Mercer.

The Devils tendered a qualifying offer to the 22 year old earlier in the offseason, but the two sides are trying to work out a new contract. Mercer is coming off his third season of playing all 82 games and second straight 20+ goal season. Over 246 NHL games, he's collected 64 goals and 131 points. The 2020 first round draft pick is a huge piece of the team's future, but there's a chance he could be playing elsewhere if the Devils don't sign him to a new deal soon.

The St. Louis Blues sent the NHL offseason into a tailspin when they submitted offer sheets to two of the Edmonton Oilers' RFA's, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The Oilers are spinning their wheels deciding on whether to match the offers or take the draft pick compensation from the Blues.

With Mercer still unsigned, another organization should follow the Blues' lead and submit an offer sheet to the Devils' forward. According to PuckPedia, the Devils sit just under $5 million shy of the salary cap limit. It puts them in a decent position to match any potential offers, but it doesn't guarantee it. All signs in New Jersey point to the Devils and Mercer agreeing to a short-term bridge deal, which should keep his salary under theat $5 million amount.

Where another team could strike is if they want to offer a longer term deal with more salary. According to the NHL's rules for RFA compensation, there is a range of salary that could be appealing to other organizations and land the Devils in trouble. For comparison, the Blues offered a contract to Philip Broberg that would pay him an average salary of $4.58 million. The compensation, should the Oilers not match, is a second round pick. This is the highest salary a team can offer with that level of compensation.

The next salary compensation level is between $4.58 and $6.87 million. The compensation for a deal in that range is a first round pick and a third round pick. Now, a team can offer Mercer a contract worth $6.5 million per season, forcing the Devils to make a move to free up cap space to match, or take the two draft picks. For an organization with cap space, like the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, or San Jose Sharks, this could be a move that expedites their rebuild for a fair cost.

The restricted free agent market is one that NHL teams are reluctant to engage in. It can be a contentious situation for all parties involved, and for most organizations the risk isn't worth the reward. For the Devils' Dawson Mercer, however, a team could acquire a bonafide 25-goal scorer for the top-six for a first and third round pick and a reasonable salary. He should be a no-brainer candidate to receive an offer sheet.

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