Q&A with Jets’ Brenden Dillon: Improving the Penalty Kill

I had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with Winnipeg Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon on Wednesday afternoon, fresh off of a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Our conversation covered his offensive outburst to begin the season, some talk about the Jets’ strong defensive analytics at even-strength, and how much being a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) has altered his approach to this season.

Q: What Do You Attribute the Hot Offensive Start to?

Dillon jokingly said “Well, I was a power play guy in junior… I’m just kidding… but for my game, I really haven’t changed much. I know what makes Brenden Dillon the best player he can be and that’s focusing on the defensive side of the puck, but every summer and offseason you’re trying to work on your game, your shot, stickhandling, skating, and all aspects.”

Dillon brought up what he saw on video from a year ago, stating: “One thing that stood out to me from watching video from last year, I was maybe not shooting the puck as much, or when you have an opportunity to, looking to score as opposed to shooting for a tip.”

Q: So it’s been a focus? “It’s been a focus for sure, yeah, I think as well, just getting up in the rush as much as I can, offensively when we get up there and we’re closing our gaps it actually helps us on the defensive side too.”

After a career-high 23 points last season, Dillon has scored four goals in 15 games to begin the 2023-24 campaign. His second goal of the game against the Arizona Coyotes back on Nov. 4th is a perfect example of him shooting the puck with a purpose.

Q: The Penalty Kill Got off to a Slower Start After Being a Top-10 Unit a Season Ago. What Can You Say About the PK So Far Through 15 Games?

“Yeah, we’ve started really slow. It’s been disappointing for us, like you said a strength of last year, and we’ve lost some big parts of our penalty kill like Saku Maenalanen and Kevin Stenlund, those are big pieces, and on the PK, it’s similar to goal-scoring in a way that it’s an ability and a skill.”

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Dillon continued: “There’s been some guys we’re working in, some new faces, and there have also been some brain-fart type of goals we are letting in, like the (Matt) Duchene one against Dallas. You should never give up that part of the zone.” That goal Dillon mentioned ended up as the game-winner in a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Nov. 11.

The Jets penalty kill currently sits at 26th-best in the NHL at 72.2 percent. Dillon emphasized the details to get that unit back on track: “We’ve had some bad bounces as well, but overall on the PK side, we’ve got to find a way to get the job done and block a shot or get a stick in the way.”

Q: At Five-on-Five, the Jets Have Some of the Best Defensive Analytics in the NHL, How Would You Describe the Defensive Play at Five-on-five So Far this Year?

As of Nov. 12, according to TopDownHockey, the Jets were atop the league in expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60). I asked Dillon about any potential changes to the team’s system or mindset that may have contributed to this impressive number.

He explained: “We tweaked a few things this year in training camp, I think a big thing for us is when we commit to playing the defensive side, we’ve got so much skill throughout our lineup, guys obviously want to score and play in the offensive zone, but when we really dial into the defensive side of the puck, it’s amazing how we get more offence from it.”

Continued: “We spend less time in our d-zone, we get the puck more and we create more overall, and that’s something that Rick Bowness tried to stress from day one. For myself as a defensive-minded player, I try to tell the forwards as much as I can that for them, as much you can put even five or 10 percent from your game toward that defensive side, you’re going to get paid off for it going the other way.”

Transitioning defence to offence has been a massive point of emphasis for the Jets early on in this season, and there seems to be a level of commitment from every player within the lineup at both ends of the ice.

Q: You’re a Pending UFA. Do you Approach the Season Any Differently Knowing That You’re Playing for a Contract?

“Not really no, if anything you’re trying to not worry about it, we’ve got a few guys in the same situation as me like Nino (Niederreiter) and (Dylan) DeMelo, there were obviously a few at the start of the year like (Mark) Scheifele and (Connor) Hellebuyck, but those got done pretty quick it sounded like from talking with those guys.” Along with those players Dillon mentioned, Cole Perfetti is due for a contract next offseason, and according to CapFriendly, the Jets are projected to have $17.9 million in cap space next year.

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“I think any time the team is having success, you’re going to have personal success, and at the end of the day, we all just want to win. If we’re doing that, that stuff is all going to take care of itself. For me personally, I haven’t gotten any offers or any talks yet, and talking with those other guys, we all like it here and I think we’re all big pieces of this team and we’re enjoying it. We’ve had a great start to the season, it’s been really fun at the rink, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

The Jets will look to keep their strong play rolling against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, Nov 17, their fourth game of a five-game home stand. The penalty kill remains a huge question mark through the first 15 games of the season, and they will look to get back on track before hitting the road next week.