Before the NHL’s 2024 free agency window opens in the morning, and those north of the 49th parallel celebrate their nation’s 157th birthday, why not an innocent rumour to start the mill. Here it goes, a left-shot, defensive defenceman, from the geographic centre of the Great White North, the Winnipeg Jets. However, as boring as the rumour may sound, what spices things up is the source. Brenden Dillon is a Vancouver-area native, and with Nikita Zadorov hitting free agency tomorrow, there is reasonable cause for the stir of chatter.
In Defenceman Brenden Dillon Rumours, He Appears to Not Be Signing in Vancouver or Winnipeg
For those asking about Brenden Dillon, lots of teams including the Canucks have interest in Dillon but unless something changes, as of right now, doesn't sound like he will be signing in Vancouver.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 29, 2024
As we know, defence wins championships, and as boring at it seems, rumours surrounding Brenden Dillon could be more important than they appear at first glance. At 33-years-old, the 13-year veteran of the NHL is a very valuable piece to a playoff team’s top-six defence core. Furthermore, Dillon still gets it done in his own zone. This past season, he achieved a career-high in a surprising stat, hits, with 241. Also, his eight goals on the year, was a career-high. Needless to say, Dillon quietly brings a lot of value. Moreover, playing in Winnipeg, under Rick Bowness‘ defensive structure, Dillon was really putting it all together. Therefore, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the the Jets and he to run-it-back.
However, given the source of the rumour, Rick Dhaliwal, a Vancouver Canucks beat-writer, it definitely adds some fuel to the fire. This implies that, one, he won’t be signing in Vancouver, but also, he will test free agency. Any time a player does that, there is a good chance that they don’t re-sign in their current situation. In addition, the Canucks have a couple other pieces who would rather test the waters of the free agency pool. Both Ian Cole and Nikita Zadorov, left-shot, more so, defensive defencemen, will be testing free agency.
Looks like D Ian Cole is hitting the market.
There was contact with the Canucks in the last couple of days.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 30, 2024
Trying to Turn a Mole-Hill to a Mountain
Therefore, one conclusion we can make, is come tomorrow, the Canucks will be active. With Cole, Zadorov, and Dillon as well, all appearing to be out as options for General Manager Patrik Allvin, we can probably draw one conclusion. That conclusion would be that the Canucks are in the market for a big, physical, defensive defenceman, who plays the left side. Given that many teams, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils come to mind, are in search of right-shot, defensive defencemen, we could be beginning to piece things towards a bigger picture together.
One thing is for sure, that there is a clear dichotomy for some teams seeking right-shot defencemen. On the contrary, teams like the Canucks and Jets, both 2024 playoff teams, aren’t searching for that option. This just helps us understand a few of the mentioned teams’ current situations. Tomorrow is sure to be on wheels, hopefully starting with this rumour, but with all of our coverage here at Last Word, we can offer a little calm through the wavy sea of free agency.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
