Wild's Jon Merrill: Offers assist in loss

Merrill logged an assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Kings.

Merrill was in the lineup for the sixth game in a row -- he's been filling in while Jonas Brodin (upper body) is out of action. Merrill is more of a pure defensive player and typically won't see a large role. He's at two assists, 15 shots on net, 25 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 20 appearances this season. While he's had steady playing time recently, one of Merrill or Zach Bogosian may be at risk of losing playing time once David Jiricek makes his team debut.