Dallas Stars Trades: One Year Later With Jason Demers

Exactly one year ago today, the Dallas Stars made headlines by announcing an unforeseen trade with the San Jose Sharks.

The Stars shipped away defenseman Brenden Dillon to the Sharks in exchange for defenseman Jason Demers.

The trade was unexpected to say the least. Dillon was beginning his third year as a member of the Dallas Stars. After not being drafted in the Entry Draft, Dillon was signed as a free agent by the Stars on March 1, 2011. He played his first full NHL season with the Stars during the 2012-2013 lockout season and made a significant impression.

Dillon brought physicality to a Dallas Stars blue line that severely lacked it. He was not known for his offensive skills, only raking in eight points on the season, but his contributions made him a valuable asset.

Dillon understood the defensive game and filled a spot that not many of the Stars defensemen could. He resorted to staying back and waiting to shut down an opponent’s attack. Dillon was a rare find in the Stars defensive system, but was a useful one nonetheless that supposedly had a bright future with the organization.

Which is why it shocked everyone all the more when GM Jim Nill announced that Dillon had been traded to the Sharks in exchange for defenseman Jason Demers. For all Stars fans that did not watch any games outside of Dallas hockey, there was immediate worry. The Stars were finally forming together and Dillon was finding his place and cementing his legacy as one of the Stars best defensemen.

Meanwhile, 2008 seventh-round-pick Demers came in as the Dallas Stars newest defenseman, and not many knew what to expect. He had been an enforcer and physical presence like Dillon back in San Jose, but no one knew what his role would be on a struggling Stars team.

While the Stars lost about two inches of height and 30 pounds in the trade, they gained an eager and determined Demers. He ended up with five goals and 22 points in 61 games, along with a +3 plus/minus rating. Not only that, but Demers provided a hefty forecheck on the Stars blue line and never backed down from a potential brawl.

Demers knew how to eat up minutes on the ice and play strong defense. He had one of the highest Corsi among all Stars defensemen and proved that Nill had made a good move.

Most people believed the trade was initially made because of the handedness of the players. The Stars started 2014-2015 with six left-handed defensemen on their starting roster and needed a righty. The Sharks were in need of a lefty, so the switch was made.

Another theory was that considering Brenden Dillon and the Dallas Stars struggled all summer putting together a new deal, the relations may not be on the best terms.

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But either way, the deal was made and we are officially one year in. So who ended up getting the better deal?

While the additions were beneficial to both teams, it’s pretty clear that the Dallas Stars grabbed the upper hand on this one. While Dillon has a total of two goals and 11 points in 79 games since joining the Sharks, Demers has nine goals and 32 points in the same amount of games.

Dillon has a -8 plus/minus rating while Demers has a +9. Demers has gained a new physical sense while on Dallas too, and has the freedom to use it whenever he wants. He’s been one of the Stars better defensemen this season and is one of the reasons Dallas’ blue line is improving with each passing game.

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So this trade may have been the first one by Jim Nill that Stars fans had not fully supported. But after one complete season it’s pretty clear that, as always, Nill knew what he was doing. Demers is in the final year of his contract. But if he can keep his play up, it does not look like there will be anything standing between the two sides and a new deal.