San Jose Sharks terminate contract with controversial veteran NHL goalie

Aaron Dell, the formerBuffalo Sabres goaltender, signed a professional tryout with the San Jose Sharks just a few days ago. The 35-year-old was pretty familiar with the Sharks organization, having spent five seasons in teal during two different stints. With the Alberta native arriving at the training camp, he looked to secure a new contract and continue his career in the Bay Area, but unfortunately, that will not be the case, as NHL insider Renaud Lavoie just announced the team has cut him from his PTO.

Dell played purely in the AHL last season with the Ontario Reign. In 12 games, he had a 7-4-1 record, with a respectable .914 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average. These certainly are indications of a good season ahead for the veteran netminder, showing that he still can perform at a high level of hockey, but sadly the Sharks didn't see that in him. He was not without his fair share of controversy in the past, as you can see from the video below.

Going ahead, the Sharks have a very cluttered goaltending depth chart with Yaroslav Askarov, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Vitek Vanecek. Thus, the chances of Dell making the NHL club were low from the start. That said, he could look at other teams for a PTO before the regular season gets underway in about two weeks or so.

In his NHL career, Dell has appeared in 130 games with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres. He holds a career record of 50-50-13, with a .905 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average. As for this past season, however, he was not quite as hot with the Sabres, only managing a 1-8-1 record while struggling to a 4.03 GAA, which is likely why he spent the majority of the time in the AHL afterwards, where his numbers did improve as mentioned above.

That experience plus recent performance in the AHL can prove him to be a reliable backup option for either the National Hockey League or AHL team this season. Time will tell if he receives another look following his departure from San Jose.