Could the Vancouver Canucks bring a veteran BC-born defenceman home this summer?
Brenden Dillon is a free agent and the New Westminster native spoke today on the prospect of signing with the Pacific Division champions when free agency opens.
“For me I think I can speak on the count of every guy that plays in the NHL that’s from BC. How cool would that be to play for your hometown team?” said Dillon on the Donnie & Dhali show today.
“I understand now as the years go by that business is a big part of how things are…I’m really open and excited and really just an open book going into July 1.”
This isn’t the first time he’s expressed interest in playing for the Canucks. Dillon made similar comments four years ago, the last time he was a free agent.
“Any Surrey hometown kid that grew up watching the Canucks would love to play for the Canucks,” said Dillon at the time in an interview on TSN 1040. “I think from an organization standpoint, to the players that you talk to that have played for the Canucks, to the fanbase, to the arena, it’s obviously got to be a great place to play and would definitely be a place that I’d be interested in.”
Of course, interest alone isn’t enough to get a deal done. Dillon signed a four-year contract with the Jets that summer, worth an average of $3.9 million per season. We will see what comes of his comments this time around.
The left-shot D-man has at least 20 points in each of the past three seasons as he’s been an important part of the Winnipeg Jets blue line. The veteran is nearing 1,000 career NHL games played and had a career-high eight goals this past season. He’s also played a total of 83 playoff games.
“This year was really fun to be able to affect things offensively a little bit more,” explained the 33-year-old. “I said to the D in Winnipeg, ‘If you guys aren’t going to score for me, I guess I’m going to have to shoot it a couple more times.’”
The Canucks have just three defencemen — Quinn Hughes, Carson Soucy, and Noah Juulsen — under contract for next season. With reports that extension talks with Nikita Zadorov have hit a roadblock, the team will likely look to free agency to sign a few blueliners.
Dillon could be a great option for the Canucks if they choose to go that direction. The 6-foot-4 defenceman has the size that management has coveted on the blue line over the past few seasons.
“General managers have their eyes set on certain ways they want their teams, and specifically for me their D, want to look,” said Dillon.
The blue liner brings a physical presence and is a willing fighter. He had seven bouts last season.
Evander Kane and Brenden Dillon ditch the helmets for an old school scrap 🔥🥊 pic.twitter.com/Kwp7Il7U0S
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 22, 2023
He is one of just four pending unrestricted free agents who stands at least 6-foot-3 and scored at least 20 points last year. The others are Zadorov, Tyler Myers, and Brady Skjei.
The Canucks will definitely be active players in the defence market, and Dillon checks a lot of boxes. He seems interested in returning home, and the fit could make a lot of sense.