Feb 4, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon (4) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks are in dire need of defensive help, and it appears they’re closing in on extending one of their talented, young defensemen for a considerable period of time.
According to a report from Dhiren Mahiban of ProHockeyTalk (PHT), Brenden Dillon’s agent, Jarrett Bousquet, indicated that Dillon and the Sharks should sign a new deal within the “next few weeks.”
It appears the deal will be in the range of three-to-six years, which should wrap up the 24-year-old Dillon through his prime years. If the term is closer to the six-year mark, that could help lower the overall cap hit, but my guess would be this deal should be in the $2.5-$3M range.
According to Bousquet, they didn’t look at comparable numbers with other defensemen from around the league.
“When we sort of figured out the market place and what a good, young defenseman should get,” Bousquet said. “We kind of agreed on a term first, and once you agree on a term, it’s easier to get to a number.”
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Dillon was acquired from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Jason Demers in November as the Sharks needed a left-handed defenseman to play behind star Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Dillon struggled in his 60 games with San Jose, posting two goals and seven assists, but he was a minus-11 and racked up 54 penalty minutes.
Dillon is a smooth skater who can move the puck up the ice. He should continue to develop and the entire blue line should be better after struggling mightily last season. Dillon is a young asset who Wilson had to extend after giving up Demers who was more than serviceable.
With Dillon now likely in the fold, Wilson can begin to target more defensemen to add to the back end. The salary cap is being raised up to $71.4M for next season, and while Dillon’s extension will cut into some of the Sharks existing $17.7M in cap space, they should still have sufficient space to address their goaltending, blue line, and additional forward depth.
The offseason carousel is in full spin and expect more news and moves to come out in the upcoming days as the draft and free agency approaches.