NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils – Brett Pesce, and the Dawson Mercer Speculation

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – They Really Did It episode on the New Jersey Devils need to add some veterans to their blue line, and Dawson Mercer speculation in the Jacob Markstrom trade talks.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Marek: “I told spoke to Tom Fitzgerald on the, on the radio show a couple of days ago and asked him about (Jacob) Markstrom obviously and the nature of the New Jersey Devils blue line. Trying to make the point that you know, having a goaltender is only part of it here. You still need to do something with the blue line and he said like ‘yeah, we still need, we still need veteran guys back there.’

And you know, you know, the some of the injuries to the back end Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, that opened the door for Simon Nemec, etc. But he said like, look, we still need to have more experience back there.

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So I don’t think this is, I don’t think the New Jersey Devils are closed for business at all, Elliotte. I still think that they’re, I still think they’re out there looking. I think a lot of people …”

Friedman: “I suspect they’re one of the teams in on (Brett) Pesce.”

Marek: “Would not surprise me at all. I think a lot of people to your previous point about the deal, looks a little bit light.

I thought Flames fans were thinking about an Alexander Holtz or maybe a Dawson Mercer, these types of players.”

Friedman: “I heard the Mercer rumors and I said, like to me if Mercer’s in that deal, if you’re Calgary, you run to the fax machine and get that done.”

Marek: “Fax machine?”

Friedman: “Do not go …”

Marek: “What year is this?”

Friedman: “Do not pass go, do not collect $200, you run, you run to the to whatever you have to do to stand it and you sign it.

You know, but I to me, who knows. Like I asked and people said Mercer was never in it and or maybe they asked about it, but like it wasn’t, he wasn’t in the deal. Like it, to me, it was just if New Jersey was wanting to trade Dawson Mercer for Jacob Markstrom, if you’re Calgary, you, you, you do not let Fitzgerald off the phone. Like that one always seemed weird to me.

You know, I wonder is it …”

Marek: “Unless it was part of a bigger deal. That’s what I always come back to. Like  I wonder about, going back to last year, like if Noah Hanifin was part of something, then we’re getting bigger names. That’s ..”

Friedman: “Yeah, okay. Okay. Yeah, I don’t think it’s like a one-for-one like that, is what I was, that’s a fair point. But like to me, I would wonder if Calgary thought higher of Bahl than Holtz. We don’t know the answer to that but …”

Marek: “For what they need, big defenseman that can defend.”

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Friedman: “It’s not impossible to me. I don’t know. I want people to, I want to stress that, I don’t know about many things. I don’t know about this, but it’s not impossible to me hat Calgary thought higher of Bahl than Holtz.”

Some rumours swirling around Brett Pesce potentially signing with NJ in free agency… two-way top-four righty who defends the rush well, kills penalties, and shuts down passing lanes. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/ve8ppWPUow

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 24, 2024