Brenden Dillon’s 2019 – 2020 San Jose Sharks Season Outlook

2018 – 2019 was a breakout season for San Jose Sharks blueliner Brenden Dillon. Could we see him emulating that same level of success next year?

Brenden Dillon has traditionally been a steady force as a bottom pair defenseman on the San Jose Sharks. At 6-4 225 pounds the blueliner is hard to miss on the ice and always seems to get involved in the physical aspects of the game.

However last season we saw a different side of Dillon. It all started with the acquisition of Erik Karlsson at the beginning stages of the 2018 – 2019 campaign. His arrival shook up the entire composition of an established defensive core. Giving players like Dillon new opportunities to thrive on a Sharks squad littered with talent.

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After a failed (and short lived) EK65- Marc-Edouard Vlasic experiment in the early stages of the regular season. Coach Pete DeBoer decided to pair up Dillon with the two-time Norris Trophy winner at 5v5. Giving him a first hand look against some extremely tough match-up’s.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old thrived in his new role as the safety valve for EK65 scoring 22 total points for the second season in a row. Dillon also tallied a career high 21 assists and led all Sharks with a 19 plus/minus rating. All while exhibiting good defensive awareness and unexpected skate speed.

Even in Karlsson’s absence Dillon’s impact was felt on the ice. He continued to string together games of consistent production. Using his strong skating ability, wide frame, and vision to disrupt the play and get involved in the offense.

Transitioning into 2019 – 2020, Dillon’s upside all depends on his exposure to EK65 and allocation of minutes by Pete DeBoer. It should not shock anyone if we see him putting up similar point totals and clocking relatively the same minutes next year. But the guy is full of surprises and throughout his time in the Bay Area he’s shown that he is not just a physical presence on the ice. It’ll be interesting to see how Dillon handles what could potentially be an interesting 9th year in the NHL.

Entering the final year of his 5-year-deal worth an AAV of 3,270,000, the veteran defenders status on the team is in question. He’s likely one of Team Teal’s most movable contracts if they needed to reduce cap space to supplement a need up front.

Now in his 6th season in Teal Dillon gets an opportunity to showcase to skills and hopefully cash in next off-season. The Sharks will need all hands on deck entering a year full of high expectations and a ton of questions surrounding the teams roster configuration.