New Jersey Devils 2026-27 Player Projections: Dawson Mercer – The Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are facing a ton of pressure heading into the 2026-27 season. They have a strong team, and last season, they crumbled and missed the postseason after a solid start. The Devils are determined not to let that happen again.

Each player on the team has a role to fill, and as we gear up for the season, we can start predicting how each player will perform. We’re going to continue our Devils’ player projections through the forward group. Next up is Dawson Mercer.

2025-26 Performance

In 2025-26, Mercer played in all 82 games and recorded 42 points via 20 goals and 22 assists. In the Devils’ second game of the season on Oct. 11, he recorded his first point with an assist. Just one game later, on Oct. 13, he scored his first two goals of the season, including a game-winning goal. He averaged 18:14 of ice time on the season overall, the most of his NHL career.

Playing on the top line alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier helped him both average a higher ice time and improve his player development. He was consistent throughout the season, both on the ice and in the points department. Mercer finished sixth on the Devils’ points leaderboard for the season. He was a huge benefit to the Devils during 2025-26.

Expectations for 2026-27

Mercer’s role this season will be to hold down the bottom six. New addition Luke Evangelista will likely get the go-ahead to play in the top six, which will bump Mercer down, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

He is a proven asset to the Devils. He’s a strong skater and consistent points producer who will be able to ensure the bottom six is contributing. He’ll eat minutes to make sure the top two lines are ready to take the ice, and this should be a nice change of pace for him. 

The biggest factor heading into 2026-27 is that Mercer is entering the last season of his current contract before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. While this will be a safety net for Mercer to stay with the Devils, that doesn’t negate the fact that he still needs to remain on the Devils’ radar in order to receive a contract. This is arguably about to be the biggest season for Mercer. Hopefully he doesn’t succumb to the pressure and instead flourishes in the 2026-27 season.

Upcoming Career Milestones

Mercer reached a few important milestones last season. He hit the 400-game mark and has now played 410 NHL games. Provided he stays healthy, he could hit 494 games in 2025-26, with the new 84-game schedule, just shy of 500.

Mercer also broke Travis Zajac’s ironman streak at the end of last season. He has not missed a game in his career so far; he will try to take the Devils’ newest ironman streak to new heights.

At the end of the 2025-26 season, Mercer also broke some incredible personal career records. He scored his 100th NHL goal and also recorded his 100th NHL assist. His totals are currently 103 goals, 106 assists, and 209 total points.

Projections for 2026-27

My bold prediction for Mercer is that he will break 50 points this season. He managed to break 50 points in the 2023-24 season, recording 56. Last season, he recorded 42 points, which remains the closest he has gotten to beating his career high.

With the pressure to perform well this season and earn a long-term deal, he has it within him to have an all-time career-high season.

Other 2026-27 Projections