from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Bobby Ryan and Jon Merrill each had reasons to be thrilled Steve Yzerman wanted them to join the Detroit Red Wings....

“Part of it is a chance to regain my form, for sure,” Ryan said Friday. “There’s a bit of selfishness in that, but I think people understand that had a lot to do with why I picked Detroit.

“I selfishly have dreams of getting back to the Bobby Ryan I was early Ottawa/late Anaheim days, and I know that’s a tall order.”...

Merrill (6-3, 195) most recently played for Vegas, joining the Golden Knights after three seasons with New Jersey. Born in Oklahoma City, he grew up in Grand Blanc before moving to Brighton, where he attended high school. He played three seasons at Michigan, where he was teammates with Wings forward Luke Glendening....

“As a kid, I always told myself if the opportunity to play for the Red Wings ever came up, I would jump at it,” he said. “So to see them calling right away today, it was an honor and a really easy decision for me.

“As a 13-year-old, I was one of the flag bearers in the playoffs, coming out of the tunnel and skating around with the flag. So tons of memories as a kid in a Red Wings jersey. It’s extremely exciting for me and my family.”...

“I like to pride myself on a good first pass coming out my zone and taking care of the puck and not turning it over and being really sound defensively,” he said.

"Just somebody that the team can rely on in critical situations to make good decisions. And hopefully as I play more and more the coach gains trust in me and I can gain more opportunities, as well as bring a little bit of leadership into he dressing room. I know they have a lot of good veteran players there but I’m hoping I can bring some difference into the dressing room and make it fun and really get things going this year.”

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