GM Doug Wilson began his selling-spree yesterday afternoon, trading longtime Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2020 2^nd round pick and a 2021 conditional 3^rd round pick. The 2^nd rounder is the one the Capitals acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Andre Burakovsky trade, and the conditional 3^rd becomes a 2020 3^rd should the Washington Capitals win the 2020 Stanley Cup. The jump from San Jose’s 26-29-4 record (3^rd to last place in the Western Conference) to the 37-17-5 Washington Capitals could help Dillon get the lucrative contract in free agency he desires, as he will have more exposure due to the playoffs.

Dillon was one of the Sharks’ best assets, as he is a 29-year-old, left-shot defenseman making a tad under $3.5 million this season. He is coming off his highest career AB performance of -0.49 last season since 2013-14, which is his only positive season to date. His career AB score is respectable for a defenseman at -2.74. This year, however, he is struggling mightily on the penalty front. He is 2^nd behind Evander Kane for the most penalties taken on the Sharks this season with 21, however, Kane has drawn 5 more penalties than Dillon. For a defenseman, Dillon’s takeaway/giveaway ratio is solid at 12/22, which is even more impressive given the fact that he plays over 19 minutes per game. The fact that he is an even 0 +/- wise on this team is another impressive statistic, given that Erik Karlsson is -15, and Brent Burns is -21. It is also interesting that Dillon leads all Sharks players this year with 178 hits, which is about 40 more than the 2^nd highest player, Barclay Goodrow.

Following the trade, GM Doug Wilson insisted this wasn’t his last move before next Monday’s trade deadline, as there are still multiple Sharks players that could be traded over the next several days. Some of these include Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Melker Karlsson, Stefan Noesen, and Aaron Dell. The Sharks only have 590k in available cap space, so we don’t expect them to trade for any NHL players. We see them restocking the prospect pool, as they traded a significant amount of it to get Erik Karlsson from Ottawa and adding to their seven 2020 draft picks. It will surely be interesting to see what else Wilson and his group have planned over the next few days. We wonder how much they are willing to sell given the fact they are without their 2020 1^st round pick, which is currently projected to be a Top 5 selection in a draft class that is as good as any in recent memory. Much more to come.