For dedensmen comparisons i still see burns in him.
Good hard shot, good puck control, a lil better 1st passer, good skater, good puck control to fend off defenders in the offensive zone.
In the defensive zone they are both roamers that rely on there instincts to make the plays they do make.
Burns is a little more physical in that he will throw his weight around every once in a while for those big butt checks of his. But outside of those he really isn't that physical for his size.
To me he is exactly the opposite from Burns, I don't get how you see Burns in Merkley.
Merkley does not seem to posses a big shot. Most the times I have seen him score he looks like hes passing it in the net.
He does not recklessly charge up the ice, he is super super controlled at all times, exactly the opposite of Burns who is crazy unpredictable.
He seems to possess the Thornton shooting mentality of "well I guess if I have to...." whereas Burns fires everything and the kitchen sink on net.
And yeah, Burns is a hulking, physical Dman, whereas Merkley is a smallish nimble Dman that seems to do his best to not engage in physical battles whenever possible.
Burns is the Ovechkin of Dmen, Merkley is the Thornton of Dmen. One is a wrecking ball focused on getting pucks on net, the other tries to possess the puck until a sweet opening for a pass shows up.
I could be wrong, but outside of his potential to score points, and suspect defense, I see nothing of Burns in Merkley.