Jason Demers traded to Stars for Brenden Dillon in surprise Sharks swap

The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars pulled off a trade of young defensemen that’s fascinating on several fronts, especially the fiscal one.

The Sharks flipped Jason Demers and a 2016 third-rounder for Stars defenseman Brenden Dillon. The former is 26 and a puck-moving defenseman; the latter is 24 and a big body. Neither one has gotten off to a good start this season, and both now have new zip codes.

From the Stars, some summary:

Demers, 26, has posted three assists (0-3=3) in 20 games played for San Jose this season. His 30 hits are second amongst San Jose defensemen and he has yet to be on ice for a power play goal against in 21:14 of shorthanded time. He set career highs in goals, assists and points (5-29=34) in 75 games played during the 2013-14 season.

The six-year NHL veteran has appeared in 300 career NHL games, all with San Jose, producing 98 points (16-82=98) and a +20 plus/minus rating. In 39 playoff contests, he has produced nine points (3-6=9) and 44 shots.

"Jason is coming off his most productive season in the NHL and is just entering the prime of his career," said Nill. "Organizationally, we were in the marketplace for a right-handed, two-way defenseman and he will help us tremendously in finding a balance on our blueline."

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of Dorval, Quebec was originally selected by San Jose in the seventh round (186th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.

Dillon, 24, has posted one point (0-1=1) in 20 games this season. Signed as an undrafted free agent, he has appeared in 149 career NHL regular season games, all with the Stars, producing 26 points (9-17=26).

"We would like to thank Brenden Dillon for all of his contributions to this organization. He is a tremendous young man and we wish him well in his career."

Demers signed a two-year deal in the summer to avoid arbitration ($6.8 million), but his grasp on a spot in the Sharks’ top six seemed tenuous at best. His ice time was down (18:11) vs. last season (19:29) as was his power-play time. (Brent Burns' return to the blue line impacted that.) The Sharks have depth on defense; in Dillon, they get a big body that shoots lefty, which is something they needed as well.

Demers continues the Dallas blue line shakeup, which has seen Kevin Connauton get claimed by Columbus and Sergei Gonchar shipped to Montreal in the last week. As last season showed, he can be a very effective puck mover and special teams presence. Maybe the change in scenery will jumpstart his game.

Of course, how long he’ll see that scenery is anyone’s guess. The Stars get a player on a two-year deal that will go UFA in Summer 2017; they traded away a young player in Dillon who’ll command a hefty raise and long-term deal next summer. Apparently, it’s one Jim Nill didn’t intend to hand out.

There’s a lot to like here for the Stars. Demers is a veteran they lack, and a nice offensive upgrade for a unit that contributed little offensively beyond Trevor Daley this season. And the Sharks are keeping 35 percent of his salary, which is another bonus. (Boy, how bad did the Sharks want Demers out or Dillon in?)

If the Stars didn’t have faith that Dillon commanded a long-term deal, better to cut bait now and improve the backend immediately.

But we are intrigued to see what a player of Dillon’s stature can become with some quality Larry Robinson time in San Jose …