Devils' Merrill out 4 weeks with broken finger

The New Jersey Devils will be without one of their defensemen to begin the new season.

Jon Merrill broke his index finger in a preseason game against the New York Rangers and will be out four weeks, the club has announced.

Merrill, 24, was expected to lock down a role in a top-six group now without Adam Larsson. The 2010 second-round pick has recorded five goals and 25 assists in 165 career games with the Devils.