The All-Star break is officially behind us, so expect trade talks to increase ahead of the Feb. 24 deadline. The most recent player reportedly in the limelight: Brenden Dillon.
A host of teams would like to sure up their blueline depth ahead of a playoff push, and the San Jose Sharks defenseman would provide a boost in that area. Two clubs that have shown interest in him are the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
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"He's a defenseman that's going to be dealt by the Sharks," LeBrun said with conviction on TSN's 'Insider Trading' panel Tuesday, adding that half a dozen teams have thrown their hats into the ring.
LeBrun said the addition of Dillon would be "a nice fit" for the Bruins as a "rugged, defensive defenseman." As for Carolina, the loss of Dougie Hamilton (broken leg), opens the door for a move to Raleigh for the sixth-year Shark.
This season, the 29-year-old has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 51 games. He set a career-high 22 points in 2017-18 before matching the mark in 2018-19. However, in 62 career playoff games (two with Dallas), Dillon has just nine assists. While he has invaluable playoff experience, he is still searching for his first postseason goal — although it is important to note that he is not expected to be a productive player on the offensive end.
Dillon is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is making $3.27 million in the final year of his contract with San Jose after being traded by Dallas in 2014. He could be a valuable piece to a team looking for a short-term rental and will likely find himself wearing a different uniform in the 2020-21 season.
As far as the 2019-20 season is concerned, the Hurricanes currently have the advantage over the Bruins in terms of cap space. According to CapFriendly, the Canes are $1,195,837 under the cap while the Bruins have $566,824 to work with, barring additional moves. Both teams are capable of shifting money around in an effort to bolster their rosters prior to the playoffs.
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At the All-Star break, both teams are in the playoff picture, but Carolina — which sits in the second wild-card spot — is in more danger of slipping out.
Dillon is the 11th asset listed on TSN's Trade Bait List, one spot behind a Carolina first-round pick in 2020, but LeBrun isn't inclined to believe San Jose will get so much in a return for the defenseman.
"It will not be an issue moving Brenden Dillon," he said. "The question is: What can San Jose get out of it? I think it's probably going to be a second-round pick and maybe a prospect."