New Jersey Devils: Pandemic Took Away Nick Merkley’s NHL Shot For Now

The coronavirus pandemic put a pause on the NHL season, which means that the New Jersey Devils are losing crucial points in young players’ developments. Nick Merkley would have gotten a look if the season kept going.

The New Jersey Devils were expecting the end of the season to be about one thing; evaluating the young players to see who could be on the team next season. We expected to see players like Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, Joey Anderson, Dakota Mermis, and Janne Kuokkanen get serious time in the NHL. They all at least got a taste of play in the big leagues this season. One player who got his taste and looked really good was Nick Merkley.

Merkley came to the New Jersey Devils as a piece of the Taylor Hall trade to the Arizona Coyotes. Out of the five pieces the Devils got back in the trade, Merkley was probably third in terms of desirability, but that shouldn’t take away from his value. It seemed like Ray Shero really cared about Kevin Bahl and this year’s 1st-round pick, but Merkley might end up being a very important piece in return.

Merkley is a former 1st-round pick in his own right. He was taken 30th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He fell in the draft, as many thought he would go in the middle of the round, but he ended up being taken with the last pick. TSN’s Craig Burton called him the number one playmaking forward in the draft and said his NHL comparable is Niklas Backstrom.

"Nick has a motor that never stops. He simply doesn’t take kindly to resistance and is always pushing through obstacles. He’s smart and knows how to take full advantage of his skills and combined with his determination, he’s an undeniable force. –Burton via TSN"

Merkley has a ton of skill, and he was always expected to be an NHL player, but things just weren’t working out in his favor this season. Many prospect reports showed they thought he’d become at least an NHL callup this season, but it never happened before the trade. He had just three goals in 26 AHL games for the Tuscon Roadrunners. Maybe it was frustration, but Merkley was quickly losing his opportunity.

Then, he was traded to the Devils, went down to Binghamton, and a fire was lit under him. He scored eight goals in 28 games with Binghamton and added another goal in four games in New Jersey.

There has to be a reason that Merkley is getting worse every year, and if the Devils can figure it out, there could be a nice surprise on their hands. Just two seasons ago, he had 39 points in 38 AHL games. That’s the player the Devils hope they can uncover.

The Devils hoped to get a glimpse of that this season, but it’s more than likely they now have to wait until next season. Merkley is only going to be 23 years old, so they still have a little bit of time to turn him around. This year was crucial, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime situation that can’t be controlled. The Devils just hope that Merkley can be saved because he’s shown flashes of being an NHL regular.