Four years ago to the day tomorrow (July 26th, 2021), the Jets acquired defenceman Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2022 2nd round pick and a 2023 2nd round pick. The off-season move was one that significantly helped the Jets defence group at the time, and it was the 3rd time that Dillon was dealt to a new team by way of a trade.

After time with the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, Dillon joined the Jets for the 2021-22 season. In the 2022-23 season, Dillon set a career high in points, scoring 2 goals and added 21 assists for 23 points in 82 games. Dillon has been a very reliable and steady defenceman throughout his long NHL career, and he’s already had 6 seasons where he’s played in 80+ games.

The undrafted 34-year old defenceman from New Westminster, BC chose to sign a 3 year, $12 million deal with the Devils on July 1st, 2024, ending his 3 year stay with the Jets. However, the so called “trade tree” for this deal still seems to be in its early stages, as some of the draft picks involved in this deal are just about to be ready to begin their NHL careers.

After the Capitals acquired the pair of 2nd round picks from the Jets, they used them in two different ways. The Dillon trade tree first expanded when the Capitals traded the Jets’ 2022 2nd round pick (which was 46th overall) in a draft day deal with the Devils which saw them acquire the 70th and 85th overall picks in the 2022 draft.

With the 46th overall pick in the 2022 draft, the Devils selected defenceman Seamus Casey. The now 21-year old just completed his 1st pro season in the AHL with the Utica Comets, and he remains a consensus top 5 prospect within the Devils organization. The Capitals selected Alexander Suzdalev with the 70th overall pick, a Russian winger who played the majority of the 2024-25 season in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. The Capitals traded down with the Rangers after they moved the 85th overall pick (Ludwig Persson), and with the 181st overall pick the Capitals took Ryan Hofer. The now 23-year old was born in Winnipeg, and he spent the 2024-25 season playing mostly in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. As of last season, before Dillon went to the Devils, the Jets appeared to like the solid value they received from this deal.

The next piece of the trade tree might end up being the best player from the bunch when its all said and done. The Capitals used the 2023 Jets 2nd round pick (49th overall) to draft Andrew Cristall, a highly talented winger from the WHL. Fast forward to the 2025 off-season, where Cristall ranks as the number 2 or number 3 top prospect in the Capitals organization. The 20-year old from Vancouver, BC scored an incredible 132 points in just 57 games split between the Kelowna Rockets and Spokane Chiefs during his last season in junior hockey. There might not be a spot immediately for Cristall on the Capitals roster next season, but the Hershey Bears (the Capitals AHL affiliate) will provide a great starting point for his pro career.

As of today, that’s where the trade tree after Brenden Dillon’s move to the Jets stands. With a few promising prospects almost ready to make an impact in the NHL, this will be one of those trade trees that will be very interesting to monitor in the coming seasons. Regardless of what ends up happening with the rest of this trade, Jets fans are likely already satisfied with the three very solid seasons that Dillon provided during his time in Winnipeg.