Minnesota Wild Sign Defenseman To Extension

The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman Jon Merrill to a three-year, $3.6 million extension. It will begin during the 2022-23 campaign.

Merrill quietly signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Wild during the offseason. During the previous season between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens, he had five assists and a minus-9 rating in 49 games. It was a down year for him, but he has completely turned it around this season - hence why Minnesota gave him an extension so quickly. In 33 games thus far, he has three goals, eight assists, and a plus-8 rating.

This is a very nice contract for Merrill to land. He became a very strong fit for the Wild immediately and now has been rewarded for his efforts. This will give the defenseman more job security moving forward. Yet, it also is a nice little deal for the Wild, too, as he will only carry a $1.2 million cap hit. That's not expensive at all for a bottom-pair defenseman.