BLUELINE SWAP: DEMERS FOR DILLON
The San Jose Sharks acquired defenseman Brenden Dillon from the Dallas Stars for defenseman Jason Demers and a third-round draft pick in 2016.
What does it give the San Jose Sharks
This is a swap of struggling defensemen, as Demers had been playing on San Jose's third pairing (and was even a healthy scratch twice). Therefore, Dillon should get a fresh start with the sputtering Sharks. He's cheaper than Demers, though scheduled for restricted free agency this summer, and bigger. Since they are receiving some salary-cap space in this swap, the Sharks had to throw in a future third rounder into the deal.
What does it give the Dallas Stars
The Stars only had one right-handed defenseman on their current roster (rookie {P John Klingberg}), so the acquisition of right-handed defender Demers makes sense here. Dillon was similar to the likes of {P Jordie Benn}, {P Jamie Oleksiak} and {P Jyrki Jokipakka}, so this move reshapes the Dallas blueline to some degree. The Stars also got a high pick in '16 to take on more salary here, so this is a solid deal for them moving forward.
Fantasy impact
If there is fantasy relevance here, it's likely going to come from Demers--who could see significantly more ice time on the offensive-minded Stars. Dillon should settle into a top-four pairing role in San Jose, but his production will likely remain somewhat the same.
