Familiar Faces in New Places: Jason Demers

Sharks fans love Jason Demers (yes, including me) which explains why Brenden Dillon gets a bit of a rough ride around these parts. That trade, which sent Demers to the Stars in exchange for Dillon, didn’t sit too well with many around San Jose as a fan favorite was shipped out for a young player who struggled with the Stars.

Now Demers plays in the Eastern Conference, which makes rooting for him a whole lot easier than when he wore “Victory Green.” The Florida Panthers handed Demers a 5 year/$4.5 AAV deal that will keep him in Sunrise until he’s 33. The Sharks were never in play for him, much as some of us hoped he would be, and now get to face him for the first time this season.

Most of what made Demers so popular in San Jose came off the ice. It was apparent his teammates loved him — and the nickname “Daddy” has stuck like glue on this website and on Twitter. It’s not hard to see why: He’s a gregarious, likable dude who I would absolutely love to shotgun a beer or two with. Hit me up, daddy.

Statistical Profile

Demers is a very solid possession player and helps generate offense by providing great breakout passes from his end of the ice. He’s still looking for his first goal with the Panthers, and he never matched his San Jose point totals while in Dallas, but he’s quietly good offensively.

From the Archives:

Here’s what we said on the day of the Jason Demers trade:

As first reported by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Sharks have acquired defenseman Brenden Dillon from the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Jason Demers and a 3rd round pick in 2016. Both defensemen have struggled so far this season but given that the 6’4″ Dillon brings impressive defensive credentials from his prior two seasons in the league, is two years younger than Demers, carries a cap hit over $2 million smaller and is the established left-handed shot the Sharks have been craving in their top four, it’s easy to see why Doug Wilson pulled the trigger on this deal.