By Luke Sims -
Most people consider Jonas Brodin the Minnesota Wild’s best defensive defenseman since they bought Ryan Suter out. Rookie Brock Faber has done an excellent job trying to wrestle that title away from Brodin. However, since the start of February, Minnesota’s best shutdown defender has been…
Before you angrily click off this site and call me a buffoon, hear me out on Johnny Hockey. Throughout his three years in Minnesota, Merrill has taken plenty of flak from fans. Most of that has been entirely valid criticism. Lately, however, the Jon Merrill haters may be wrong.
Since the start of February, Merrill has been one of Minnesota’s better defenders. While the Wild have Merrill in a sheltered role, his change in deployment has benefitted the team.
The veteran defender recently skated in his 600th game on March 20. That’s a meaningful feat for a guy who never played a full 82-game season. Merrill has only skated in 55 games with the Wild this season.
Merrill has spent his fair share of time in the press box as a healthy scratch. But all of the injuries Minnesota’s defensive core has sustained have forced Merrill to draw into the lineup.
Jared Spurgeon and Brodin’s injuries have forced the Wild to reevaluate how they deploy their defenders. While this includes Faber logging almost 30 minutes a night like an absolute mad lad, Minnesota also acquired Zach Bogosian, and then extended him, and claimed Declan Chisholm off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
Merrill spent a lot of time with Dakota Mermis throughout the year. The pair haated over 300 minutes together this season and were ineffective. But Merrill has been skating with Chisholm recently, and the deployment of that pair has produced better results for Merrill.
Since February 1, Merrill has been first among Wild defenders in goals against per 60 (GA/60) at 0.67, a massive disparity from where he was before February 1. Merrill was near the bottom of the team in allowing goals per hour at 2.67. Now, Merrill ranks ahead of Brodin and Faber.
Even in xGA/60, which is expected GA/60, Merrill is tops on the team at just 1.69. The veteran is not just getting lucky or bailed out by elite goaltending; he’s actually playing well.
Merrill leads the team in GF%, which is goals-for-percentage, which means he’s out there for many more goals than he allows. His possession statistics are positive for once, as his Corsi For percentage is 52.5%. I never thought I’d see such numbers from No. 4 in green and red, but here we are.
Merrill did not just magically discover a new level in his game. He’s being put in more favorable situations, and he's playing very sheltered minutes, which boosts his game.
Merrill’s defensive zone start percentage is 5.1%, which is incredibly low. The Wild rarely have Merrill defending in his own end to start a shift. No other Wild defender starts in the defensive zone less than Merrill except Mermis.
Now, the Wild will have to survive by having Merrill do any of the heavy lifting on the defensive side of the puck and leaving that to the Brodins and Fabers of the world.
Merrill also has the second most OTF% starts which means on the fly or when the Wild are in transition from defense to offense. Having Merrill in that position where he does not have to try and stop a rush or clear the puck out of his own end has been good for his game. Don’t think, just flow.
On the offensive side of the puck, Merrill has only nine points through 55 games this year. The Oklahoma native has never been a creator with the puck, though. He’s a career 0.18 points per game guy. This season, though, he is tied for his career high in goals with four so far. Let’s see if he can set a new career high.
The Wild have Merrill under contract for one more year after this one, with a cap hit of $1.2 million. While fans are often irked by the fact that Merrill has another year, the deal is not terrible in and of itself.
The principle of signing depth defensemen to contracts before they need to is the real problem people should be focusing on. The Zach Bogosian deal is a case in point. For an aging defenseman, that’s just a deal you don’t need to make, but I digress.
Usually, fans' criticism of Merrill is warranted. But recently, the Wild put him in a position to succeed, and Merrill is proving the doubters wrong. Therefore, they are reaping the rewards of his play.
All stats and data via HockeyDB and Evolving Hockey, CapFriendly, and Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise noted.
Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.
-
2
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.