The Montreal Canadiens have acquired 6’3’’ stay at home defender Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings to shore up their defence ahead of the trade deadline.
The Canadiens traded a fifth-round pick in 2021 and Laval Rocket forward Hayden Verbeek to Detroit.
The Canadiens have acquired defenseman Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings, in return for a fifth-round pick in 2021 and forward Hayden Verbeek.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BEiUjl9zx7
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 11, 2021
Merrill has seen playoff action in the past, most recently with the Las Vegas Golden Knights before arriving in Detroit this summer. This season he has played 36 games and has five assists to his name. The defender can play both sides, and is used to playing around 20 minutes per night.
Hayden Verbeek has spent his entire season with the Laval Rocket, and during the fall he also played in Slovakia. Verbeek has never really found his place on the team, and Montreal is getting a useful NHL player for a prospect and a late-round pick.
We’ll have more on this deal soon, but on the surface it looks like a good value trade for Marc Bergevin.
