Most people consider Jonas Brodin to be the Minnesota Wild's best defenseman since acquiring Ryan Suter. Rookie Brock Faber did a great job trying to take the title away from Brodin. But since the beginning of February, Minnesota's best shutdown defender has…
John Merrill.
Before you get mad and click on this site and call me a clown, ask me about Johnny Hockey. Throughout his three years in Minnesota, Merrill has received a lot of criticism from fans. Most of which are perfectly valid criticisms. But those who hate Jon Merrill may be wrong these days.
Since the beginning of February, Merrill has been one of Minnesota's better defenders. Merrill has a protected role with the Wild, but his repositioning has benefited the team.
The veteran defender just played his 600th game on March 20th. This is a significant feat for a player who has never played a full 82-game season. Merrill has only skated in 55 games for the Wild this season.
Merrill has spent a fair amount of time in the press box as a healthy scratch. However, injuries to the core of Minnesota's defense forced Merrill into the lineup.
Injuries to Jared Spurgeon and Brodin forced the Wild to reevaluate how they deploy their defenders. This includes Faber, who logged nearly 30 minutes a night like a total crazy young man, but Minnesota also acquired and extended Zach Bogosian, who was released off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Claimed Declan Chisholm.
Merrill spent a lot of time with Dakota Mermis throughout the year. The two have played over 300 minutes together this season, but to no avail. However, Merrill has recently been skating with Chisholm, and the pair's introduction has yielded better results for Merrill.
Since Feb. 1, Merrill ranks first among Wild defenders in points allowed per 60 (GA/60) at 0.67, a huge jump from before Feb. 1. Merrill was near the bottom of the team in points allowed per minute at 2.67. . Merrill is currently ranked higher than Brodin and Faber.
Even in GA/60 and expected xGA/60, Merrill leads the team at just 1.69. This veteran doesn't just get lucky or get bailed out by an elite goaltender. He's actually playing well.
Merrill leads the team in goals-for-percentage, or GF%, which means he attempts more goals than he allows. His possession statistics are positive for the first time, as his Corsi-For rate is 52.5%. I didn't expect to get such numbers from number 4 with green and red, but here we are.
Merrill didn't just magically discover a new level of her game. He's in more favorable situations and playing very guarded minutes, which is boosting his game.
Merrill's defensive zone start rate is an incredibly low 5.1%. The Wild rarely have Merrill playing defense at his own end to start a shift. Other than Mermis, no other Wild defender starts in the defensive zone more than Merrill.
Now, the Wild will have to survive by having Merrill do the heavy lifting on the defensive side of the puck and leaving it to the Brodins and Favors of the world.
Merrill also has the second-highest start in OTF%. This means on the fly, or when the Wild are transitioning from defense to offense. Having Merrill in a position where he doesn't have to stop the rush or take the puck off his side has been good for his game. Just flow without thinking.
On the Pack's offensive side, Merrill has scored just nine points through 55 games this year. But the Oklahoma State native wasn't the creator of the puck. He's a guy who scores 0.18 points per game in his career. But he has tied a career high with four goals so far this season. Let's see if he can break his career high.
The Wild have Merrill under contract for one more year with a cap hit of $1.2 million. Fans are often upset about the fact that Merrill has one more year left, but the deal itself isn't terrible.
The principle of signing contracts before depth personnel are needed is a real issue that people should focus on. Zach Bogosian's contract is a perfect example. For the aging defenseman, it's just a deal that didn't need to be made, but I digress.
Normally, fans are right to criticize Meryl. But these days, Merrill is proving his doubters wrong, with Wilde putting him in a position to succeed. So they benefit from his play.
All stats and data are via HockeyDB and Evolving Hockey, CapFriendly, and Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise noted.
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