BREAKING: Devils Agree to Three-Year Deal with Defenseman Brenden Dillon

The New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with former Winnipeg Jets defenseman, Brenden Dillion via free agency. Dillon’s deal with the Devils is a three-year deal worth $4 million per year.

Dillon owns a full no-trade clause in the first two seasons of his contract which downgrades to a 10-team no-trade clause in the final year.

The soon 34-year-old is a left-shot defensive defenseman who — like most other acquisitions this offseason — is quite large. Dillon stands tall at 6-foot-4, 225 lbs, and utilizes that size on the ice quite well.

Last season in Winnipeg, Dillon registered 241 hits — which led the Jets in the category — across 77 regular season games. Dillion also chipped in a career-high eight goals and 20 points and was a plus-20, also a career-high.

The Devils will be Dillon’s fifth NHL club, previously playing for the Jets, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, and Washington Capitals. In 892 career NHL games, Dillon has collected 37 goals and 196 points and has thrown 2,169 hits in that span.

Have we mentioned before that General Manager Tom Fitzgerald said he wants to get a little heavier, more physical, and more violent? Because Dillon certainly fits the mold.

According to The Athletic, here’s what you can expect from Dillon — a defenseman who was utilized in Winnipeg as a top-four defenseman at five-on-five and was a first-unit penalty killer:

“Jets fans are well acquainted with Dillon’s brand of physicality and decision-making. Dillon has played a second-pairing and penalty-killing role for the Jets for three straight seasons. In that role, Dillon was not the only answer to Winnipeg’s defensive woes but a big part of the solution. He excels on a team that plays a consistent, committed structure but won’t create that structure all by himself.”

The Devils’ blueline will look vastly different next season with Dillon and the newly acquired Brett Pesce in the fold. Following Dougie Hamilton’s injury in December that saw him miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season, Fitzgerald has done a nice job of bringing in veteran players to support the likes of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. All while achieving the Devils GM’s goals of becoming a more difficult team to play against physically.

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