Merrill recorded an assist and two PIM in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flyers.
Merrill looks set to stay in the lineup since Jacob Middleton (hand) was injured Thursday versus the Oilers and will be out until January. The 32-year-old Merrill has chipped in two assists over his last four contests, giving him three helpers over 23 outings this season. The veteran blueliner has added 19 shots on net, eight PIM, nine hits and 27 blocked shots in a third-pairing role.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Offers assist in loss
Rotowire
Merrill logged an assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Kings.
Merrill was in the lineup for the sixth game in a row -- he's been filling in while Jonas Brodin (upper body) is out of action. Merrill is more of a pure defensive player and typically won't see a large role. He's at two assists, 15 shots on net, 25 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 20 appearances this season. While he's had steady playing time recently, one of Merrill or Zach Bogosian may be at risk of losing playing time once David Jiricek makes his team debut.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Struggling to make lineup
Rotowire
Merrill was scratched for the seventh time over 12 games in November when he sat out Monday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.
Declan Chisholm and Zach Bogosian have been the most frequent third-pairing combination this month. Merrill saw steadier playing time in October while Jared Spurgeon dealt with an injury. Over 14 appearances this season, Merrill has one assist, nine shots on net, 18 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating. The 32-year-old veteran can step into the lineup whenever there's an injury concern, but he's unlikely to make a positive impact for fantasy.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Chips in with assist
Rotowire
Merrill posted an assist in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
Merrill helped out on a Mats Zuccarello tally in the third period. The assist was Merrill's first point in five games, and he's added three shots on net, seven blocked shots, four hits and a plus-1 rating. The 32-year-old defenseman is locked into a bottom-pairing role, and there's a chance he loses his place in the lineup once Jared Spurgeon (lower body) can resume playing. Spurgeon's workload is being managed following hip and back surgeries earlier in 2024, which leaves the door open for Merrill to get a fair amount of playing time, albeit in a limited role.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Grabs two apples in win
Rotowire
Merrill notched two assists in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Sharks.
Merrill snapped a 10-game point drought with the primary helper on a Declan Chisholm tally in the first period before assisting on a third-period marker by Marcus Johansson. The 32-year-old Merrill has seen steady playing time lately, but usually in a third-pairing role. He's at 11 points, 41 shots on net, 56 blocked shots, 30 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 63 appearances this season.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Lone source of offense in loss
Rotowire
Merrill found the back of the net in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Blues.
Merrill beat Jordan Binnington from the high slot with what appeared to be a sleepy wrist shot. The veteran defenseman will strike every so often, but Merrill should be left on the waiver wire as he's averaging just 12:54 of ice time with three goals and four assists through 44 games.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Enters lineup, picks up goal
Rotowire
Merrill was credited with a goal on two shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Ducks.
Merrill was credited with Minnesota's second goal despite replays that made it look like Mats Zuccarello's shot got through cleanly. If it stands, Merrill has his first point since Dec. 18. He had gone 11 contests without a point and was a healthy scratch over the last six games before drawing in with the Wild turning to seven defensemen Saturday. The 31-year-old Merrill has five points, 18 shots on net, 24 blocked shots, 18 hits, 24 PIM and a minus-3 rating through 33 appearances this season.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Pots first goal of season
Rotowire
Merrill scored a goal on three shots and added a blocked shot and a plus-1 rating in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.
The veteran blueliner opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first period, beating Joseph Woll over his glove on a wicked snapshot from the high slot. It's Merrill's first goal of the year and his third point in 12 games. Given that his career highs on a season are four goals and 20 points -- set in 2021-22, his first campaign with the Wild -- it's unlikely he's going to suddenly become a fantasy asset.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Grabs assist Thursday
Rotowire
Merrill recorded an assist in Thursday's 6-2 defeat to the Flyers.
While Merrill does have two assists through the first seven matches of the season, he remains goalless to open the 2023-24 campaign. Considering the blueliner has managed a mere four shots so far, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he hasn't found the back of the net yet. Merrill has just one 20-point season in his 11-year NHL career, so fantasy players probably shouldn't expect him to emerge as an offensive force in 2023-24.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Returning Sunday
Rotowire
Merrill (illness) will rejoin the Wild for Sunday's matchup with the Blue Jackets, per Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Merrill missed Minnesota's last two contests while recovering from an illness. The 31-year-old blueliner has two goals and eight assists through 53 games this season, averaging 14:49 TOI in a bottom-pairing role.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Out of action Thursday
Rotowire
Merrill (illness) will not play Thursday in Columbus, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Merrill and Jonas Brodin (lower body) will be out of the lineup and will be replaced by Calen Addison and Dakota Mermis. Merrill is not on the road trip which will see the Wild travel to Toronto on Friday. He has two goals and 10 points with 67 blocks and 34 hits in 53 games this season.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Scores in loss
Rotowire
Merrill logged a goal, two blocked shots, and a hit in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers.
Merrill opened the scoring in the first period, beating Igor Shesterkin with a shot through traffic. It's Merrill's first goal since Dec. 7 and his first point in five games. The 30-year-old blueliner now has two goals and seven assists through 36 games after posting a career-best 20 points last season. Merrill doesn't offer much upside in a third-pairing role, averaging 15:51 of ice time.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Picks up assist in loss
Rotowire
Merrill provided an assist in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Sharks.
Merrill set up Joel Eriksson Ek's first-period goal. The assist was Merrill's first point since a two-point effort Dec. 7 versus the Flames. In the seven scoreless outings in between, he went plus-3 with five hits, four blocked shots and four shots on goal. The 30-year-old defenseman has maintained a fairly steady third-pairing role with seven points, 22 shots on net, 37 blocked shots, 21 hits, 12 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 29 contests.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Contributes two points Wednesday
Rotowire
Merrill scored a goal and registered an assist in a 5-3 loss to Calgary on Wednesday.
Merrill found the back of the net at 15:45 of the third period to even the game at 3-3, but Calgary retook the lead just 12 seconds later. Merrill has a goal and six points in 21 contests. The 30-year-old typically isn't much of an offensive contributor, but he does have four points in his last four games.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Logs assist in blowout
Rotowire
Merrill failed to score on his lone shot but registered a helper in a 6-1 blowout win over the Jets on Wednesday.
Merrill earned a helper on a wrist shot by Calen Addison early into the second period to give the Wild a 2-0 lead. The 30-year-old winger also registered three blocks along with two hits in 18:50 of ice time. The veteran blueliner is still looking for his first goal of the season.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Gets on scoresheet Friday
Rotowire
Merrill recorded an assist in Friday's 1-0 win over the Kraken.
Merrill set up Mats Zuccarello's first-period tally in the low-scoring win. The assist was Merrill's first point of the campaign, as the 30-year-old defenseman hasn't been able to get much going from a third-pairing role. He's added just seven shots on net, 17 blocked shots, nine hits and a minus-1 rating in 10 contests. Given his defensive role and corresponding lack of offense, he's not likely to be of service in most fantasy formats.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Doesn't have a point in 2022-23
Rotowire
Merrill has no points in eight games this season.
Merrill did record four goals and 20 points in 69 contests in 2021-22, but in terms of points-per-game that was actually the best season he's ever had. The 30-year-old defenseman has never been a major offensive contributor and that's not likely to change this season.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Set to return Saturday
Rotowire
Merrill (arm) is expected to play Saturday against Boston, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
The Wild put Andrej Sustr on waivers Friday for the purpose of sending him to the AHL in anticipation of Merrill's return. As long as Merrill's healthy, he'll serve as a bottom-four defenseman. He had 20 points and 112 blocks in 69 contests in 2021-22.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Might return Saturday
Rotowire
Merrill (arm) might return to the lineup Saturday against Boston.
Merrill was cleared for contact on Oct. 12, but he needed additional time before being ready to make his season debut. Before he potentially returns Saturday, Minnesota is expected to play against Vancouver on Thursday without him. He had four goals and 20 points in 69 games while averaging 17:07 of ice time.
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Wild's Jon Merrill: Cleared for contact
Rotowire
Merrill (arm) has been cleared for contact, but there's still no timetable for his return, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Merrill will likely need to log at least a handful of full practices before making his season debut, but he's clearly making progress in his recovery. The 30-year-old defender collected 20 points through 69 contests last campaign.
