Ryan Merkley was able to get into 39 games with the San Jose Sharks last season due to the way things went for the team. But he was inevitably sent back down to the AHL last season and has spent the entirety of 2022-23 in the AHL once again. He was drafted 21st overall in 2018 and is now 22 years old. With NHL experience under his belt, he is further along than a number of other defencemen at his age, but isn’t being given a shot.
The Sharks have been bad this season and have been carried by defenceman Erik Karlsson. Considering the team’s place in the standings, Merkley could have been given another opportunity in the NHL. This has caused him to ask for a trade, per Frank Seravalli. So let’s look at possible destinations where Merkley will be able to get a better opportunity in the NHL and push his career forward.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are in a tough spot this season and there appears to be little hope of them making a massive push for a playoff spot this season. Having said that, they are not planning on rebuilding and will be looking to alter their lineup and come back stronger next season. A few players from their team will be on the move at the trade deadline, opening up space in the NHL for new additions. Merkley comes to mind for a few reasons.
The Panthers have just three defencemen signed past this season and a couple of trade candidates on the blue line including Marc Staal and Radko Gudas. Merkley is only 22 years old and has lots of offensive potential. He is a great puck-mover and would be able to strive in the offence-first system the team has been known for. The Panthers don’t have any defensive prospects that stand out and don’t have very many draft picks to be able to select one who can be impactful right now. This is their best option for the immediate future.
Ottawa Senators
It is no secret the Ottawa Senators have one of the biggest needs for defencemen in the NHL this season. They have three players on the back-end that the team has been relatively happy with – Thomas Chabot, Artem Zub, and Jake Sanderson, but also have Travis Hamonic playing in the top-four, Nick Holden, Nikita Zaitsev, and Erik Brannstrom. They are desperately trying to trade Zaitsev to free up cap space and are at a crossroads with Brannstrom. He hasn’t lived up to the hype after being a major piece in the return for Mark Stone a few years ago.
Related: What Senators Must Sacrifice to Acquire Erik Karlsson
The Senators are a young team and could do with another young defenceman since they are likely parting ways with many or all of the defenders who aren’t contributing. Merkley would have some competition with Jacob Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thompson in the system, but that could help him get even better. Though the Senators are looking for help defensively and Merkley may be a little young to provide them the with what they hope for immediately, he does have 39 games in the NHL and has shown a lot of offensive ability.
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are about to have a lot more room on their defence as their two top defenders are set to be traded this season – Jakub Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere. The largest thing both of these players bring to the team is offence, so that’s what the Coyotes will be missing. Merkley has shown he can at least contribute with assists, even if he isn’t a goal-scorer like Chychrun and Gostisbehere.
The Coyotes have many more solid forward prospects than defence, so not only would Ryan Merkley be right at the top of their ranks, he would likely get playing time in the NHL this season. The position the team is in with their rebuild would give him ample time to grow and develop in the NHL with a better opportunity than he’s gotten in San Jose.
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