September 6, 2024 | 11:17aM ET
TheFourthPeriod.com

DEVILS, MERCER CONTRACT TALKS TAKING TIME

Dawson Mercer, forward

With training camps set to begin on Sept. 18 across the NHL, teams throughout the league are preparing for the new season and players are itching to get going.

Several teams have their rosters primarily set for camps, but some clubs are still hammering away at contracts with their remaining restricted free agents, while others are exploring the possibility of adding an unrestricted free agent or two at a discounted rate.

In New Jersey, the Devils made several moves this off-season to help bolster their club for the 2024-25 campaign, adding the likes of goaltender Jacob Markstrom via trade and signing such free agents as defencemen Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon and forward Tomas Tatar.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has just over $4.976 million in available salary cap space, as per PuckPedia, with restricted free agent forward Dawson Mercer left to sign.

Contract negotiations between the Devils and Mercer’s agent Pat Brisson remain ongoing, but as TFP’s David Pagnotta reported on Friday, a deal between the two sides is still not close as of this morning.

“It’s moving slow, at the moment,” Pagnotta said, describing negotiations between the two parties. “They’re grinding away at it, but there seems to be a lot of work that needs to be done before they get to the finish line.”

While the Devils and Mercer have discussed multiple options, a short-term deal may be the likeliest of outcomes once the two sides come to terms on a new contract.

Mercer, 22, registered 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in 82 games with the Devils last season.