Brenden Dillon loves being a Washington Capital.
The newest Washington Capitals defensemen was brought on board at the trade deadline and has already bought himself an Xbox to game with his new teammates. Brenden Dillon loves it here and feels “right at home” which is a good sign and a good case to re-sign him.
“I’m happy with being a Washington Capital. From Day 1 when I came here in the trade, they’ve made me feel right at home,” Dillon told the media on a Zoom conference call on Tuesday.
“The system, the way we play, I feel like a big part of things here. I feel even better now. And I think for myself to have a couple weeks of training camp to get even more acclimated and a (better) understanding of things, I think it’s going to pay huge dividends,” Dillon added.
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Dillon was added to the team with Ilya Kovalchuk and they both seem to have adjusted to life as a Washington Capital. Unlike other deadline pieces it’ll have been nearly a five month gap since they played games meaning they had more time to get to know their teammates even while isolated in the early part of the pause through texts and zoom meetings. Dillon was a part of the informal workouts at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before training camp.
“He already seems more comfortable going through this a second time. Obviously, he was with us for a number of games, got a feel for us and then took the time away and had a chance to reflect. And now I think he’s come back understanding exactly what is expected of him and the impact that he can have on our team,” Caps head coach Todd Reirden told reporters.
The challenge facing Dillon and the Caps won’t be what comes their way on the ice but rather off the ice when the season is all said and done. They’ll once again be in a tight situation with the salary cap and will already have four defensemen under contract. That will make re-signing Dillon easier said than done.
"I think over the last couple weeks, months, I've definitely gotten a lot closer with a few of the guys. Bought myself an Xbox, having a couple tee times with a few of the the guys during the weeks."
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 14, 2020
Dilly spoke with media after the second day of Training Camp at MCI. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/qy3hGhVYQF
When Dillon was asked if he had any thoughts about the contract/salary cap situation he said, “To be honest, not really. I’ve had so many other things I’ve been worrying about, just the world in general, touching base with family and friends and everything.”
Although Dillon only played in 10 games he is already loved among Caps fans. Let’s hope he can help the defense improve so the team can go far in the playoffs.