NEW HAB EAGER TO HELP OUT
Merrill excited to join playoff push
When Jon Merrill awoke Sunday morning, he was on a last-place team in Detroit that was playing out the string over the next month.
In the span of a few hours, the defenceman was traded to the Canadiens. And while the 29-year-old veteran isn't certain how much he'll be utilized once he makes his Montreal debut, he's closer to post-season play now than with the Red Wings.
Like centre Eric Staal, who recently escaped purgatory playing in Buffalo, Merrill feels rejuvenated by the turn of events.
“As athletes, we want to be in important games … big games,” Merrill said Tuesday, during a video conference from an Edmonton hotel room, where he's in quarantine for seven days. “You want to feel like you've got a chance at it and you're making an impact. It becomes frustrating when your efforts don't get the results you want.
“We put in so much work as professional athletes all year long. To not get the results … that give yourselves a chance to play for the Stanley Cup is frustrating.”
Merrill, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, was acquired by Montreal on Sunday for minor-league forward Hayden Verbeek and a fifth-round draft choice this year. Originally selected 38th overall by New Jersey in 2010, Merrill played in 36 games with the Red Wings this season, collecting five assists. He had a plus/minus rating of plus-2 along with 12 penalty minutes.
On Monday, when general manager Marc Bergevin addressed the media following the trade deadline, he called Merrill a mobile defenceman with size who moves the puck well. While the native of Oklahoma City produced some offence in junior and at the University of Michigan, he had to adapt his game at the NHL level, making his mark by concentrating on his own end.
Although he shoots left, Merrill has played on the right side. It wouldn't be surprising if he's teamed with rookie Alexander Romanov when he makes his debut, which is expected when the Canadiens begin an eightday, five-game trip through Edmonton and Calgary, starting Monday.
“I'm just happy about the opportunity to play some meaningful games and help this club win in any way,” said Merrill, raised in the Michigan cities of Grand Blanc and Brighton, outside Detroit. “I'll do whatever it takes.
“It's exciting to be in the mainstream of the hockey world, in the heart of it all,” he added. “Every day I'm in the NHL, I'm just happy to be there. Any time my name's called to go over the boards, I'll be ready. Whether it's 20 minutes a night or 12. I'm really excited about the opportunity to play some playoff games.”
In 392 career games with the Devils, Vegas and Red Wings, Merrill has produced 12 goals and 66 points. He has one assist in 16 playoff games and was part of the Golden Knights' run to the final as an expansion team in 2018. He joined Detroit as a free agent last October, signing a oneyear, US$925,000 deal.
Meanwhile, the majority of Canadiens players participated in off-ice workouts Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday's game at the Bell Centre against the Flames (7 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM). The teams will meet again Friday night in Montreal.
The fourth-place Canadiens led Calgary by eight points heading into the Flames-leafs game in Toronto Tuesday. Nonetheless, Habs defenceman Brett Kulak realizes they can put some distance between themselves and their rivals this week should they manage to sweep the two games.
Montreal ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over Toronto Monday at the Bell Centre.
“That's our goal,” Kulak said. “We know what's at stake and the games remaining against Calgary. They're all going to be huge. (Monday) was a step in the right direction for us. We know, when we're playing our style and we're all on the same page and on the top of our game, we can beat anyone in the league.”
Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme said forward Joel Armia, who was on the NHL'S COVID -19 protocol list, could return Wednesday. Goalie Carey Price (lower-body injury) will skate on Wednesday although his return remains undetermined. And defenceman Ben Chiarot (broken hand) could return at some point next week. Finally, defenceman Erik Gustafsson, traded from Philadelphia, arrives in Montreal Wednesday to begin his quarantine.
It's exciting to be in the mainstream of the hockey world, in the heart of it all.