Last summer, heated contract talks between Brenden Dillon and the Dallas Stars dragged into October before the sides finally settled on a one-year, $1.25 million deal days before the start of the regular season. Those negotiations seemed to leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth and likely contributed to the November 21st deal that saw Dillon traded to the Sharks for Jason Demers and a 3rd round pick.

This time around, with Dillon again a restricted free agent and under San Jose control, negotiations seem to be going a lot more smoothly. Dillon's agent Jarrett Bousquet told Pro Hockey Talk today that a long-term deal in the 3-6 year range is imminent:

"My kind of gut feel is that it should get done within the next little while, next few weeks," Dillon’s agent Jarrett Bousquet told PHT. "I don’t see it dragging on any further. "I think both sides feel that talks have been good, and should be able to get something done." "In this negotiation we didn’t (look at comparable defensemen)," said Bousquet. "When we sort of figured out the market place and what a good, young defenseman should get. "We kind of agreed on a term first, and once you agree on a term, it’s easier to get to a number. Long term for a young defenseman between probably 4-6 years, somewhere in there, 3-6 years somewhere," said Bousquet.

Dillon, 24, is coming off a solid debut season in teal during which he was the Sharks' best defenseman at suppressing shot attempts, their second best overall possession blueliner and probably the best fit alongside Brent Burns of anyone who was regularly paired with the converted forward last year.

However, despite his ability to skate and pass the puck out of his own zone, Dillon's offense was rather underwhelming as he finished the season with just two goals and nine points. That should limit his asking price a bit; the five-year, $20 million contract a similar but more productive defenseman in Marco Scandella inked with the Wild in November is probably the absolute high-water mark for what Dillon will get here. Something in the $3.5 million/year range on a 4-to-6 year deal seems more realistic.