Detroit — The Red Wings keep staying busy.
They traded defenseman Jon Merrill to Montreal on Sunday for a 2021 fifth-round pick (previously from Ottawa) and forward Hayden Verbeek.
Merrill, a Grand Blanc native, was a potential unrestricted free agent who signed a one-year deal with his hometown team last summer. He appeared in 36 games this season for the Red Wings, notching five assists. Merrill, 29, owned a plus-minus rating of plus-2.
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Verbeek, a 23-year-old forward, had three points in seven games with the American League's Laval Rocket.