After the Minnesota Wild signed Dmitry Kulikov and Alex Goligoski to short-term deals, their blue line was almost complete — all that was needed was one final spot for someone to take and the easiest option was an internal one.
Especially after young defenseman Brennan Menell was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the competition remaining was essentially rookie Calen Addison standing alone with other AHL depth defensemen. But when Wild GM Bill Guerin told the media that he won’t just hand their young prospects spots in the lineup, he clearly meant it and signed established defensive player Jon Merrill to a one-year deal.