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Let’s talk about the fall from grace exhibited by former San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche prospect Ryan Merkley.
This video is taking place after the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and after the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 2023 NHL Draft 1st Round went as follows:
1st) Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard
2nd) Anaheim Ducks, Leo Carlsson
3rd) Columbus Blue Jackets, Adam Fantilli
4th) San Jose Sharks, Will Smith
5th) Montreal Canadiens, David Reinbacher
6th) Arizona Coyotes, Dmitri Simashev
7th) Philadelphia Flyers, Matvei Michkov
8th) Washington Capitals, Ryan Leonard
9th) Detroit Red Wings, Nate Danielson
10th) St. Louis Blues, Dalibor Dvorsky
11th) Vancouver Canucks, Tom Willander
12th) Arizona Coyotes (from Ottawa Senators), Daniil But
13th) Buffalo Sabres, Zach Benson
14th) Pittsburgh Penguins, Brayden Yager
15th) Nashville Predators, Matthew Wood
16th) Calgary Flames, Samuel Honzek
17th) Detroit Red Wings (from New York Islanders via Vancouver Canucks), Axel Sandin Pellikka
18th) Winnipeg Jets, Colby Barlow
19th) Chicago Blackhawks (from Tampa Bay Lightning), Oliver Moore
20th) Seattle Kraken, Eduard Sale
21st) Minnesota Wild, Charlie Stramel
22nd) Philadelphia Flyers (from Los Angeles Kings via Columbus Blue Jackets), Oliver Bonk
23rd) New York Rangers, Gabe Perreault
24th) Nashville Predators (from Edmonton Oilers), Tanner Molendyk
25th) St. Louis Blues (from Toronto Maple Leafs), Otto Stenberg
26th) San Jose Sharks (from New Jersey Devils), Quentin Musty
27th) Colorado Avalanche, Calum Ritchie
28th) Toronto Maple Leafs (from Boston Bruins via Washington Capitals), Easton Cowan
29th) St. Louis Blues (from Dallas Stars via New York Rangers), Theo Lindstein
30th) Carolina Hurricanes, Bradley Nadeau
31st) Colorado Avalanche (from Florida Panthers via Montreal Canadiens), Mikhail Gulyayev
32nd) Vegas Golden Knights, David Edstrom
This video is also taking place after 2023 NHL Season, and after the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in the Finals.
Ryan Merkley was one of the top NHL prospects at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft saw many top NHL prospects get selected by a variety of teams. The first round of the draft went as follows:
1st – Buffalo Sabres, Rasmus Dahlin
2nd – Carolina Hurricanes, Andrei Svechnikov
3rd – Montreal Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi
4th – Ottawa Senators, Brady Tkachuk
5th – Arizona Coyotes, Barrett Hayton
6th – Detroit Red Wings, Filip Zadina
7th – Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes
8th – Chicago Blackhawks, Adam Boqvist
9th – New York Rangers, Vitali Kravtsov
10th – Edmonton Oilers, Evan Bouchard
11th – New York Islanders, Oliver Wahlstrom
12th – New York Islanders (from Calgary Flames), Noah Dobson
13th – Dallas Stars, Ty Dellandrea
14th – Philadelphia Flyers (from St. Louis Blues), Joel Farabee
15th – Florida Panthers, Grigori Denisenko
16th – Colorado Avalanche, Martin Kaut
17th – New Jersey Devils, Ty Smith
18th – Columbus Blue Jackets, Liam Foudy
19th – Philadelphia Flyers, Jay O’Brien
20th – Los Angeles Kings, Rasmus Kupari
21st – San Jose Sharks, Ryan Merkley
22nd – New York Rangers (from Pittsburgh Penguins via Ottawa Senators), K’Andre Miller
23rd – Anaheim Ducks, Isac Lundestrom
24th – Minnesota Wild, Filip Johansson
25th – St. Louis Blues (from Toronto Maple Leafs), Dominik Bokk
26th – Ottawa Senators (from Boston Bruins via New York Rangers), Jacob Bernard-Docker
27th – Chicago Blackhawks (from Nashville Predators), Nicolas Beaudin
28th – New York Rangers (from Tampa Bay Lightning), Nils Lundkvist
29th – Toronto Maple Leafs (from Winnipeg Jets via St. Louis Blues), Rasmus Sandin
30th – Detroit Red Wings (from Vegas Golden Knights), Joe Veleno
31st – Washington Capitals, Alexander Alexeyev
Twitter: @LR99Gaming
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Hi. I’m “Gio Palermo”, also known as “legorocks99” (“legorocks99Gaming”, “LR99Gaming”, or “LR99”). I post video game commentaries on YouTube revolving around “hockey”, with a primary focus on “Vancouver Canucks”, “Montreal Canadiens”, “Detroit Red Wings”, and top “NHL prospects” topics. These videos are uploaded with “NHL 23” gameplay in the background. I enjoy making these videos and I hope that you enjoy watching them!
legorocks99 and all its denominations function under “Gio Palermo Media Inc.”
9 Comments
thanks for all the great vids lego!
I hope his Chinese or Russian is any good.
Not sure why these offensive defensemen who are lost in their own end dont convert to forwards. Just because they are drafted as d men doesn't mean you have to develop them as one. Seemed to be more common in the day
Ryan Murphy 2.0
Get ready to learn Chinese buddy!
Merkley remains one of very few NHL draftees who’ve only ever earned one contract from a team in that league. Griffin Reinhart, selected fourth overall by the Islanders in the 2012 NHL Draft, earned a second contract before deciding to try his luck in Mainland China, Germany, and then Northern Ireland before retiring. The England-based Odd Man Rush YouTube man produced and narrated a video about Mr. Reinhart in mid-September 2020, said video titled “From 4th overall to China – the Griffin Reinhart story.”
As far as I’m aware, I can think of only two NHL draftees who have only ever signed one contract each with a team in that league: Yegor Korshkov, who signed a two-season contract with the Leafs in May 2019, and Alex Formenton, the expiry of whose last NHL contract made him a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights. Formenton last season, by the December deadline for him to sign a new contract with an NHL team, came and went with no contract signed, forcing him to have to play in another league just to have the chance to play any professional hockey that season.
I had yet to hear about Ryan Merkley before the Legorocks YouTube man had mentioned said defenseman’s name. Yet Mr. Merkley was allowed to exercise arbitration rights were the Avalanche team to which he had been under contract to have extended him a qualifying offer. That was because he played with the Colorado Eagles, the Avs‘ AHL affiliate, to finish out his contract. I wish him all the best during his stint playing hockey in Mainland China although whether that means earning another NHL contract remains TBD.
Put him as a throw in 2 years ago in a blockbuster trade in my dynasty pool … good thing in the long run
Sharks cant develope talent, thats the bottom line
This may be the wake up call he needs. Attitude determines your latitude aye. Thought he was too good for Sharks, thought he was too good for the OHL now he’s playing for the worst team in the KHL.
Who thinks he’ll make a comeback in a couple of years with a revelation sparked maturity?