The New Jersey Devils were very busy on the first day of NHL Free Agency. In all, Tom Fitzgerald signed five players, including two expected AHL guys. The one unexpected move was signing Stefan Noesen to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $2.75 million per season. Even with that deal, the headline for the day was upgrading the defense.
The Devils made the move that we all expected, signing Brett Pesce to a six-year deal that pays him $5.5 million per season. It was slightly less than expected, which was a nice surprise. Late Sunday night, the Devils became tied to former Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon. They made that move official today with a three-year, $12 million deal.
Another big man for the blue line!
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 1, 2024
We’ve agreed to terms with defenseman Brenden Dillon.
📰: https://t.co/NzBtcXyIcA pic.twitter.com/pTx278J70Q
The 33-year-old has a good track record as a second-line producer. Now on his fifth franchise, Dillon knows exactly what he is as a player. He's pretty exclusively defensive, who has great 5v5 numbers. He adjust under 19 minutes of ice time per game, showing he was able to take an increased role when called upon.
Dillon fills the role left by Kevin Bahl after the Devils traded him to the Calgary Flames in the deal that got them Jacob Markstrom. Dillon won't be asked to do too much, giving him a chance to excel. He might also see some more offense playing on a team with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier.
However, this signing is all about the defense. Is Dillon worth $4 million per season? He is based on what piece of the puzzle he is. The Devils have eight quality defensemen on the roster. That is nine if you include Santeri Hatakka and 10 if you include prospect Seamus Casey. Just look at this possible defense:
Siegenthaler - Hamilton
Hughes - Pesce
Dillon - Nemec
If that doesn't float your boat, maybe switching things up to produce some shutdown lines.
Dillon - Hamilton
Siegenthaler - Pesce
Hughes - Nemec
If you want to get in recently acquired Jonathan Kovacevic, there's a way to do it while giving rest to different players on different nights.
Pesce - Hamilton
Dillon - Nemec
Hughes - Kovacevic
The Devils lost both Ryan Graves and Damon Severson last offseason. They lost Nikita Okhotyuk, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Reilly Walsh were young defensemen they lost in trades. They needed to make changes after how bad the unit played last season. Now, the Devils have possibly the best defense in the Metropolitan Division.