In an otherwise disappointing season for the San Jose Sharks, Brenden Dillon’s improvement this year was certainly one of the highlights. Dillon’s improvement was apparent from the very beginning of the season, as his skating ability appeared to have taken a noticeable step forward.
It helped, of course, that he no longer had to carry around Roman Polak as an anchor, playing the vast majority of his minutes this season with free agent acquisition David Schlemko. Dillon and Schlemko’s respective skillsets were a natural fit together on the third pairing, and provided the Sharks with something they’re not normally familiar with: three pairs worth of defensive depth.