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New Jersey Devils: Nick Merkley Could Be An Impact Player

By Vincent Parise

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 09: Binghamton Devils right wing Nick Merkley (12) controls the puck during the first period of the American Hockey League game between the Binghamton Devils and Cleveland Monsters on February 9,2020, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 09: Binghamton Devils right wing Nick Merkley (12) controls the puck during the first period of the American Hockey League game between the Binghamton Devils and Cleveland Monsters on February 9,2020, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils are hoping that a lot of their prospects turn out but things will be awesome if Nick Merkley is an impact player one day.

The New Jersey Devils had to be happy with what they saw from Nicholas Merkley in his handful of games that he played with them in 2020. He came over to the Devils with Kevin Bahl, Nate Schnarr, and a 1st-round pick in the trade that sent Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes. It was a trade that seemed necessary for New Jersey to make at the time. It wasn’t fun watching a Hart Trophy winner go but with his looming free agency, it had to be done.

Kevin Bahl was the main piece coming back to New Jersey besides the first-round pick but Nick Merkley could be a very good middle-six winger for the Devils. He had a taste of the NHL this season as he played in four games. In those four games, he had one goal and one assist for two points. There were shifts where he was very noticeable which is great for a kid making his debut at 22 years old. He can develop into a great winger for them if he keeps this going.

Who knows, there might even be a spot next to one of Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes open for him one day. He needs to keep at it and keep being a noticeable player whenever he does get his chances. There are plenty of players around him that didn’t take much advantage of opportunities given so Merkley can be one of those guys. Think of a guy like Jesper Bratt who was a late-round pick. He is an everyday NHL player now and a very good one at that.

light. Related Story. Taylor Hall was a great player for the New Jersey Devils

If Merkley is able to solidify a spot over the next few seasons, it will make the Taylor Hall trade look even better. Hall was a great player for them but the fact that he was an expiring contract made it difficult. He also made it clear that he wanted to be on a winning team which the Devils had only been one time during his tenure there. Merkley might never be a superstar but that isn’t what the Devils need from him. They need a good solid contributor, which he has shown he might be able to be consistently at the NHL level.

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