Montreal Canadiens acquire defenceman Jon Merrill

Less than two hours after placing defenceman Victor Mete on waivers, the Montreal Canadiens acquired defenceman Jon Merril from the Detroit Red Wings in a move to shore up their back end.

Merril, 29, cost the Habs prospect Hayden Verbeek and a 2021 5th round pick. Appearing in 36 games this year, Merrill has notched five assists, but has provided tremendous defensive value.

According to hockeyviz.com, Merrill provides even-strength defence at a 13 percent rate better than league average and will surely help the Habs on their backend.

He’s owed $925k against the cap this year, and is a UFA at the end of the season.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.