The New Jersey Devils immediately acquired a defenseman. Brenden Dillon He signed a three-year, $12 million contract when free agency opened on July 1. But this wasn't the first time the Devils had tried to acquire the physical defender, with Dillon telling Sportsnet's The Hockey PDO cast that the Devils also wanted to acquire him at the trade deadline, adding that Winnipeg was hesitant to move an unrestricted free agent in the midst of a strong season.
Dillon was a central figure in the Jets' success, once again returning to a solid role on the team's second pairing and recording his third straight season with 20 points. He found a way to make his presence felt every game, leading Winnipeg with 241 hits in 77 games, 20 more hits than anyone else on the team, and ranking third with 111 blocks.
It's clear why the Devils would be interested in acquiring Dillon: New Jersey enters next season with an incredibly skilled, but inexperienced, blue line. Luke Hughes and Simon NemecBoth players are still early in their careers and are still honing their two-way game, so they would benefit from the physical strength that Dillon brings to the lineup, and Dillon has 892 games over 13 seasons in the league, so being a veteran is a nice perk.
Other notes from the league:
- On Saturday, the deadline for clubs to file for salary arbitration with arbitration-eligible restricted free agents passed, but no clubs filed additional claims, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Notably, this resulted in star goaltender Jeremy Swayman Swayman has been cleared from the arbitration list. Swayman has been one of the best goalies in the league over the past four seasons, posting 79 wins and a .919 save percentage in 132 games played. All of those games came alongside Vezina Trophy-winning goalies. Linus UllmarkBut it's hard to gauge how valuable Swayman is as a sole starter, which is why the Bruins will now negotiate directly with him, even though many expected arbitration. Regardless of how contract negotiations play out, he's set to be a large part of the Bruins' starting rotation next season.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins still have a chance to acquire a top prospect. Braden Yeager According to Matt Bensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Yeager is a sure bet for the 2024-25 roster. Yeager is fresh off a championship season in the WHL, where he played 77 games and scored 122 points as the Moose Jaw Warriors' top center. He also scored five points in five World Junior Championship games thanks to his dynamic playmaking in the middle lane. This year was a standout year for Yeager, capping off a stellar WHL career, where he scored a total of 250 points in 211 Junior Championship games. Though he is optimistic about his chances next season, Yeager has yet to sign an entry-level contract and will remain eligible to play in the WHL next season.
