It has been a resurgent season of sorts for Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell. After it looked like they’d be forced to look for another option following a season where he posted just a .886 SV%, the 30-year-old has bounced back this year and has effectively taken the number one job from Martin Jones for the time being. Despite that, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that there have been no discussions regarding a possible contract extension for the pending unrestricted free agent and it appears those will have to occur over the summer. For his part, Dell appears to be interested in remaining with the team he signed with as an undrafted free agent back in 2013, citing that he and Jones (who is signed through 2023-24) work well together. With San Jose likely remaining as a cap-strapped team for next season, re-signing Dell may be a more cost-effective option over bringing a more proven option in to push Jones.
More from the Pacific Division:
- While Edmonton got hit with some tough injury news today, there are also some positives on the horizon. Paul Gazzola of the Oilers’ team website notes that winger Kailer Yamamoto participated in a full practice today and is close to returning as is defenseman Kris Russell. Both players could potentially return as soon as tomorrow while winger Andreas Athanasiou, who left Wednesday’s game against Vegas early, is also expected to be available.
- The Coyotes could soon be getting a key part of their back end back in the lineup. Craig Morgan of The Athletic mentions (Twitter link) that Jason Demers is likely to return on Saturday after missing more than three weeks with an oblique injury. While he doesn’t produce much offensively (just nine points – all assists – in 46 games), he is averaging a little under 21 minutes a night in a top-four role which would be a good boost to a team that stood pat at the trade deadline.