Brenden Dillon thanks Sharks fans, San Jose after trade to Capitals

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Before the Sharks trade that would send Brenden Dillon to the Washington Capitals took place on Tuesday, the defenseman was emotional talking to the media upon the possibility of leaving San Jose.

After the inevitable deal happened, Dillon had a moment to say what spending six seasons with the Sharks meant to him.

"First and foremost, the city here, the fan base has been unbelievable," Dillon told the media on Tuesday. "Doug (Wilson) from day one, he really believed in me as a player, bringing me in here." 

'I've learned so much, and I think when I came here -- you know, a 22, 23-year-old guy, just trying to build this game, I think for my second year being part of going to the Stanley Cup Finals, see the grind, see how hard it is to get there, you need a lot of things to go right, you need a lot of the special people, I think that's helped me."

Wilson, the Sharks' general manager, mirrored the emotions on having to go through with a trade of this magnitude. 

"Such an amazing teammate," Wilson said about Dillon. "Wonderful guy, right from the day he's come here and he's made people around him better, and how he's carried himself, his fiancée Emma -- very much appreciate everything they've done for this organization."

For Dillon, the Sharks received a 2020 second-round draft pick (Colorado's previously acquired by Washington) and a third-round draft pick in either 2020 or 2021 from the Caps.

The 29-year-old came to San Jose in a trade from the Dallas Stars in November of 2014. Across those six seasons with the Sharks, he appeared in 439 games, posting 88 points with 13 goals and 75 assists. He has played the ninth-most games in Sharks history, and has the seventh-most penalty minutes in franchise history.

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