The start of training camp is just over a month away for most NHL teams, including the Minnesota Wild, but we still have two groups of players to give grades to. While we did individual grades for forwards, we will do the defense and goaltenders as groups. The first group up will be the defensemen.Â
We’ll summarize each defenseman’s overall season in pairs, and then give an overall grade for that player. With the Wild rotating seven defensemen, instead of having a pair go first, we’ll have a trio of Declan Chisholm, Jon Merrill, and Zach Bogosian.Â
Merrill Odd Man Out
The first player of this trio to be graded will be Jon Merrill. He was the seventh man out of a handful of times this season, but he still played 70 games this past season. He didn’t have much production during the regular season with just two goals and four assists for six points overall. His defensive side was better with 41 hits and an impressive 85 blocked shots. However, he did have 64 turnovers and only 14 takeaways.Â
In the postseason, he only played two of the Wild’s six games and had zero points with just one shot on goal. In those two games, he had one hit and two blocked shots. He didn’t turnover the puck, but he did have a lone takeaway.Â
After looking over his regular season stats, he earned a C- for his overall grade. He could’ve done better offensively, and he did okay with his first priority: defense. He looked better than the previous season, even if the stats don’t show it. However, it could’ve been lower, as far as his postseason grade, he earned a C.
Jon Merrill, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Mainly because he only played two games, and for a defenseman that doesn’t produce a lot anyway, two games isn’t enough for him to show what he can truly do. Combining both of his grades, he earned a low C for his overall grade.Â
Chisholm Traded Away
The next player on the list, Declan Chisholm, had a significantly better season than Merrill did, and he played four fewer games, at 66. In those games, he scored two goals and assisted on 10 others for 12 points. Defensively, he had just 33 hits but 69 blocked shots. Just like Merrill, Chisholm’s turnovers stood out at 83 with just 27 takeaways.Â
As for the postseason, he has no stats because he didn’t play in any of the Wild’s playoff games. Obviously, with no postseason stats, there will be no postseason grade; however, he has a decent regular-season grade despite some mishaps that led to goals against during the regular season.Â
He earned a B- because he was able to produce offensively, and he threw his body in front of quite a few shots. However, his turnovers were the biggest problem, especially one against the Colorado Avalanche, where he threw the puck in front of his own net, right to the opposing forward who shot it past the unsuspecting goaltender for a goal. That was one of the reasons his grade wasn’t higher, but it also wasn’t lower because he did make up for it later in the season with his defense.Â
Bogosian Redefining Career
Out of the three players on this list, Zach Bogosian had the best performance and appears to be redefining his career as he gets older. He only missed one game this season, and in those other 81 games, he scored four goals and tallied 12 assists for 16 points. Those points were the most he’s had in nearly seven seasons. His defensive contributions were 81 hits and 80 blocked shots, both respectable numbers. However, just like his teammates, he had a high number of turnovers at 68 and just 22 takeaways.Â
His postseason numbers were better than Merrill’s and Chisholm’s as well. He played in all six games for the Wild and assisted on one goal for his lone point of the postseason. As far as his defensive skills, he had six hits and four blocked shots, again the best numbers of his teammates. He did have three turnovers and one takeaway, which again could’ve been better but also worse.Â
His overall grade for the regular season is a B because while his numbers could’ve been better, they also could’ve been worse. He contributed both offensively and defensively and made a strong impact. As for the postseason, he earned a B- because his numbers could’ve been better, but they also could’ve been worse. For his overall grade, he earned a low B after combining both his grades.Â
Related: Minnesota Wild’s 2025-26 Schedule: Key Dates, Matchups & More
Merrill, Chisholm, and Bogosian were regularly in rotation for the bottom defensive pairing. They all had decent showings throughout the season, and while they didn’t get top grades, they were average for the bottom pairing. It’ll be interesting to see how the other pairings do as we move towards the top pairing.
