NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dylan DeMelo spent a lot of nights last fall awake and worrying about the fate of his career.

The Sharks defenseman knew this season was going to be a make or break year, and after just two games, he found himself back in the press box wondering if his opportunity to be an everyday NHL player had passed him by.

Now, DeMelo’s back in the lineup and playing a key role in the Sharks late-season charge, recording 10 points in 13 games this month. The 24-year-old traces his resurgence, and the peace of mind he’s playing with, back to a conversation he had with veteran Paul Martin during the darkest moment of his three-year NHL career.

“There were a lot of nights where I’d stay up thinking — probably overthinking — the situation. But it’s hard not to when you’ve got a lot on the line and you’ve worked your whole life to get to this opportunity,” DeMelo said. “I was really debating what to do.”

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DeMelo entered training camp with the mindset that the 2017-18 season would be the year that he finally “made a name” for himself and solidified a spot on the Sharks blue line. After stringing together 45-quality games during his rookie year in 2015-16, DeMelo spent the next year-and-a-half getting bumped out of the lineup.

First, the Sharks traded for Roman Polak at the trade deadline in 2016, pushing DeMelo off the Sharks third pairing right before the team started its run to the Stanley Cup Final. Then, in the offseason, the Sharks signed David Schlemko, relegating DeMelo to seventh defenseman status yet again.

But after Schlemko got claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL expansion draft last summer, DeMelo figured that his opportunity to be an everyday player had arrived. The idea got confirmed when head coach Pete DeBoer penciled him onto the third pairing alongside Brenden Dillon on opening night.

But just two games later, DeMelo served as a healthy scratch, benched in favor of Tim Heed, a Swedish defenseman who made a splash with the AHL Barracuda last winter by recording 56 points in 55 games. DeBoer would give the nod to Heed, and his tremendous-offensive upside, in 16 of the Sharks next 17 games.

“I felt like, oh no, here we go again,” DeMelo said.

“In my head, obviously being in the last year of my contract, I knew that if I played just 20 games again I wasn’t going to get the deal that I wanted.”

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The entire situation was confusing. DeBoer praised DeMelo in media often. He spoke of his poise, consistency and character. Yet, in crunch time, he always seemed to look the other way.

Eventually, DeMelo turned to Martin for advice on how to approach the Sharks coaching staff to eliminate the ambiguity.

“I just told him to go in there and be honest and direct,” Martin said. “A lot of times young guys don’t know how to bring up those conversations with coaches.

“They hesitate to say what they mean.”

DeMelo confirmed Martin’s depiction of the situation.

“I wanted to know where I stood,” he said. “I didn’t really know how to approach it in the best way because I’d never done it before. I’ve never been in that situation.

“I was tinkering. I’d go in there and I’d leave thinking, oh maybe I should have said that or maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Talking to Paul, he helped me be honest with them…and for that, I’ll always be in debt.”

DeMelo got what he wanted from DeBoer, an honest response. The crux of the conversation: stay patient, you’ll get your chance.

“The news at the time wasn’t what I wanted to hear,” DeMelo said. “But it was honest, and at least when it’s honest, you can live with it. When you’re in that gray area, and you don’t know what’s going on, that’s when your mind goes racing.”

The conversation gave DeMelo enough peace of mind to stay patient while he prepared for his opportunity by working hard in practice.

The chance eventually came against the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 22 and DeMelo made the most it. He’s suited up for all but three games since, giving the Sharks one of the more reliable third pairings in the NHL with Dillon.

The “Dilly Dilly” pairing started taking off as the season progressed, giving the team more than just reliable minutes on the backend. They’re chipping in offensively, as well. The duo has combined to record 19 points in the month of March.

DeBoer commended DeMelo for his patience.

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Sharks will soon make Bob Boughner their full-time coach, per report “I’m sure there were points when he was out where he’s sitting there going, the coach is full of you know what. You never see the light at the end of the tunnel,” DeBoer said. “He’s earned what he’s got. As a coach, you always appreciate those type of guys.”

Although he’s finally locked down a regular spot in the lineup, DeMelo says that he’ll continue to play with a chip on his shoulder. He isn’t taking anything for granted.

“If I’m not doing the job, someone else is going to come in. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “This is going to be my whole career; me just trying to solidify a spot every year because of how competitive this organization is, how this league is.”