Right now, there are quite a few former New Jersey Devils playing in the KHL. 28-year-old Daniel Sprong left the Devils this offseason to play for CSKA Moscow. Former first-round pick Ty Smith signed with Dinamo Minsk this offseason after the Carolina Hurricanes let him go. Other former Devils like Louis Domingue and Joseph Blandisi signed there this season, and players like Reid Boucher, Fredrik Claesson, Christian Jaros, Chris Tierney, and (likely) Nikita Gusev are still expected to be on KHL rosters this upcoming season.
It’s time to add to that list.
Nick Merkley was traded to the New Jersey Devils as part of the famous Taylor Hall trade. He was essentially a throw-in with upside, as the important factors of the deal were the first-round pick (which turned into Dawson Mercer) and defenseman Kevin Bahl.
Still, Merkley had a little NHL experience, and he was 22 years old at the time of the trade. He never broke out, and the Devils traded him to the San Jose Sharks for Jaros. Merkley’s career with the Devils was short-lived, but he’s found a career in the KHL. He signed in the Russian league for the first time in 2022, joining Dynamo Minsk. Last season, he played for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
Next season, Merkley is going to make history by being a part of the first-ever roster for the Shanghai Dragons.
The Kunlun Red Star moved to Shanghai just a few weeks ago, focusing on building the sport in the world’s most populous country. Unfortunately, the team will not be ready to play in China next season, as they will play at the SKA St. Petersburg arena in 2025-26, but they plan to move to China the season after next.
Merkley isn’t the only player with Devils ties who signed with the Dragons. Former fourth-round pick Nikita Popugaev has signed with the Dragons. Technically speaking, the Devils still own the rights to Popugaev, who has had a tumultuous career, to say the least.
You might remember Popugaev has a high-upside forward who stood tall; quite literally. He’s 6’6 and plays huge.
Unfortunately, in his one full season of North American hockey, he wasn’t able to make it even to the AHL. He played the entire 2019-20 season with the Adirondack Thunder. He would go back to Russia after that, but after one season in the KHL, he left hockey to become an influencer. He returned to hockey two seasons later, and he’s been playing in the KHL ever since.
Popugaev is a decent bottom-six forward with his best season just last year with 13 goals in 38 games for Tolyatti. Now, he’s signing with Shanghai for their first season.
The newly rebranded franchise was in the news recently because former New York Rangers head Gerard Gallant accepted the job to be their head coach. Gallant has been hoping for an NHL job after his surprise firing in the NHL, but that hasn’t come to play.
Joining Popugaev and Merkley with the Dragons are former NHLers Ryan Spooner, Jeremy Smith, and Jake Bischoff. It should be an interesting season as they prepare for hockey to return to China.