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Aaron Dell

Trade Candidate: Aaron Dell

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With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

The San Jose Sharks find themselves in tough position when it comes to their backup goaltender Aaron Dell. The 28-year-old has only been in the league for two years, but has had quite a bit of success, especially this year. With the struggles of starter Martin Jones, Dell has had to take on bigger resposibities and, at times, has outplayed the veteran. Now, with the trade deadline three weeks away, the team must decide what it plans to do with the netminder.

Contract

Dell is in the final year of a two-year, $1.225MM contract he signed with the Sharks in July of 2016. His AAV is $625K.

2017-18

Dell was brought in two years ago as the backup to Jones and has thrived in that role. However, since December Jones has struggled, which has forced Dell into a larger role this year and he has done quite a good job filling in more often for Jones, often being the preferred starter over Jones. His numbers have been impressive, but more importantly, he has led the team to a 12-4-3 record this year.

His name has come up in trade rumors and the Sharks aren’t likely going to be able to keep the backup next year as Dell may look to seek a starting role or an opportunity to split time evenly with another goalie. On top of that, Dell should receive a significant pay raise from the $625K he is currently making.

Season Stats

22 GP, 12-4-3 record, 2.51 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 SO

Potential Suitors

Dell’s potential suitors aren’t going to be much different than any goaltender on the market whether it be Petr Mrazek, Jimmy Howard or Robin Lehner. The New York Islanders are likely looking for a goaltender, while another legitimate possibility could be the Ottawa Senators, who are struggling at that position and might want a fresh face to compete for playing time with one of their veterans. A third option could just be a trade to a elite team like the Pittsburgh Penguins or Tampa Bay Lightning who might want a more dependable backup for the playoff run.

Likelihood of Trade

A weeks ago, it seemed extremely unlikely the Sharks might move Dell as he was the team’s best goaltender. However, Jones seems to have recovered from his struggles as he has played better in his last two games and looks to have coach Peter DeBoer’s confidence again. Dell, on the other hand, hasn’t been on the ice once since the break, suggesting the team wants to make sure that Jones can handle the load if they move Dell. While San Jose is in second place in the Pacific Division, they have a number of teams right behind them and the team might be fighting to make sure they reach the playoffs as opposed to thinking about winning a Stanley Cup this season.

With the team attempting to re-tool as their veterans like Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski are aging, the team might want to pick up an asset for Dell before they lose him. The team can ensure they get a veteran back in a deal to fill Dell’s shoes for the remainder of the season.

 

Western Notes: Greenway, Allen, Jones, Pouliot

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What will the Minnesota Wild do with one of the top up-and-coming prospects? In an extensive mailbag column, The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that he believes the Minnesota Wild will base its decision on how to proceed with Boston University prospect Jordan Greenway will depend on whether the Wild are in a position to compete for a playoff spot when Greenway’s season is done.

Greenway, the team’s 2015 second-round pick is having another solid season at BU. He has eight goals and 11 assists in 23 games so far this season. Minnesota, who is two points out of a playoffs spot at the moment, would likely sign Greenway and immediately add the 20-year-old wing to their roster and burn his first year of his entry-level contract if the team was competing for a playoff run.

However, Russo adds if the team falls out of the race, they would be more likely to let him go to Iowa of the AHL before coming to Minnesota next season. Russo adds that to sign him, the team will have to move out a contract as they are already at the maximum of 50.

  • Also in another mailbag series, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that despite rumors that St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen’s game has slipped ever since he took a hit to the head in late December, he doesn’t believe that is Allen’s problem. The scribe writes that Allen passed his concussion protocol that evening after sustaining the hit and said he felt fine once he got on his feet and while passing a test doesn’t mean anything, Allen practiced immediately the next day and hasn’t missed a practice since. He says it’s highly unlikely that the team would have allowed him to practice, let alone return to the game, if his head was still a concern.
  • Mercury News’ Paul Gackle writes that starting goaltender Martin Jones is listed as day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury during Thursday’s game against Colorado. Jones was seen with a significant limp after that game. Head coach Peter DeBoer said the injury is unrelated to the injury the netminder suffered back on Nov. 25 which forced him to miss a game. The coach referred to the injury as “minor.” Jones, who has struggled in net since that first injury, has a .886 save percentage in the 13 games since then. Backup Aaron Dell will take his place for tonight’s match against Pittsburgh.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Derrick Pouliot, who was scratched in the team’s last three games, has been dealing with a hand injury and is almost ready to return to the lineup. The 24-year-old defenseman is finally getting playing time with Vancouver after several years of struggling to break into the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup. The Canucks acquired the former first-round pick just before the season began. He has played in 39 games and has a career high of 11 points so far.

Morning Notes: Crawford, Trade Bait, Green

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sitting at 50 points in the standings, but somehow find themselves in last place in the Central Division. Their 22-17-6 record would be good enough for fourth in the Atlantic and fifth in the Pacific, but unfortunately they find themselves playing in a division where all seven teams have positive goal differentials. Now, even as they struggle to climb the Central ladder, they could lose one of their most important players for the rest of the year.

Corey Crawford is currently on injured reserve, and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the goaltender is suffering from vertigo-like symptoms. It’s not the first time symptoms like this have surfaced for Crawford, who dealt with them in 2016 as well. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote yesterday that coach Joel Quenneville believed last week that Crawford would return, but Lazerus claims things have complicated since then. The Blackhawks resume their schedule on Saturday, when they will take on the New York Islanders.

  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli has updated his Trade Bait board, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Michael Grabner, Jack Johnson, Nick Holden and Aaron Dell all joining the list. The emphasis on New York Rangers’ players is clear, with Seravalli writing that they’re a “team to watch” heading into the trade deadline. The Rangers are in a playoff spot currently, but are stuck in the middle of a super-competitive Metropolitan Division and could fall out of the race with a bad week or two. If the team doesn’t believe they can really make an impact in the playoffs, the distinct lack of sellers on the market could make them consider moving some of their expiring pieces.
  • Mike Green has not been asked to waive his trade protection yet by GM Ken Holland, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports on TSN’s Insider Trading that when he’s eventually asked, the Detroit Red Wings will be willing to eat some of his salary to get a deal done. LeBrun notes Tampa Bay as a possible fit for the powerplay specialist, though is quick to note that no discussions have been had just yet.

Pacific Notes: Cogliano, Martin, Dell, Bellemare

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The Department of Player Safety announced they will have a hearing today for Anaheim Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano for his illegal check to the head on Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe during the first period of Saturday night’s game between the two teams.

A possible suspension for the iron man Cogliano in jeopardy. The veteran has not missed a game since 2007 and has played 830 consecutive games, ranking fourth highest in NHL history, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Elliotte Friedman added that he is just 134 games behind Doug Jarvis, who played with Montreal, Washington and Hartford between 1975 to 1988.

  • On his Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman reports the San Jose Sharks are trying to trade defenseman Paul Martin. The veteran defenseman, in his third season with San Jose, was injured in the second game of the season and has only appeared in one game since then on Dec. 7. He played a four-game stretch of games in the AHL on a conditioning loan, but has been called up and has been a healthy scratch since. With the emergence of defensemen Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan on San Jose’s blueline, there is no place for Martin. With defenseman Dylan DeMelo about ready to be activated off of injured reserve, the team hopes to send Martin elsewhere. Martin played 159 games in his first two seasons with the Sharks. The problem is Martin is owed $4.85MM both this year and next, which might make moving the veteran much more difficult than it looks.
  • Paul Gackle of the Mercury News writes that while the Sharks are likely to move goaltender Aaron Dell before he hits unrestricted free agency this summer, the team cannot consider moving their backup goaltender until the last possible moment as the team finds itself fighting for a playoff spot. The Sharks are currently one point out of a playoff spot in a highly competitive race. “We need great goaltending in the second half,” head coach Peter DeBoer said. Due to the recent struggles of starter Martin Jones, the team doesn’t want to lose Dell too quickly in case Martin, who has struggled since the beginning of December, fails to bounce back. Gackle adds that in a perfect world, the team would try to send Dell off as soon as possible to get a fourth-line center or a wing.
  • The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp writes the Vegas Golden Knights avoided a possible injury Saturday in their game against Edmonton when forward Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare took a puck to the face off a shot from defenseman Darnell Nurse. The veteran tough-guy took three stitches and only missed one shift.

Pacific Notes: Dell, Duclair, Hutton, Sekera

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The Sharks aren’t expected to trade any of their young forwards for a scoring upgrade before the trade deadline, notes Paul Gackle of the Mercury News.  The one exception to that is if they acquire a young core player in the trade which doesn’t seem likely to happen unless they’re willing to include other future assets in a deal.  Accordingly, Gackle makes a compelling case to trade netminder Aaron Dell.  The 28-year-old is having himself a strong season and while he provides an above-average insurance policy behind Martin Jones, it’s unlikely that San Jose will be able to afford to keep him around for next season with Dell hitting the open market this summer.  With the young forwards off the table, Dell is the one trade chip they can use to bring in someone of consequence to help solidify their hold on a playoff spot.  If they were to do so, they would presumably then have to turn around and make a follow-up move to bring in someone else to play behind Jones.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Coyotes winger Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch against Washington last night. Head coach Rick Tocchet told Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic that since he wasn’t going to be used in a top-six role, there wasn’t much point to playing him as he’s unable to handle the defensive responsibilities that players in the bottom-six are expected to do.  Unfortunately for Duclair, his production so far this season (7-6-13 in 27 games with three of those goals coming in one game) hasn’t been good enough to justify consistent top-six playing time so this may continue for a little bit.
  • The Canucks have scratched defenseman Ben Hutton twice over the past week but Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province argues that despite the fact his offensive game hasn’t progressed like many had hoped, Hutton is still their top option on the penalty kill. At 24, Hutton is still young enough to be considered part of their long-term future which makes the decision to sit him down for depth defender Alex Biega a bit surprising.  Hutton has just four assists in 34 games but is averaging a career-high 20:50 in playing time per night.
  • Although Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera needed treatment yesterday on his recently-repaired knee following his season debut on Thursday, he will be able to suit up tonight against Montreal, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The treatment was just precautionary.  After playing 16 minutes in his first game, it will be interesting to see if he gets a bigger workload tonight or if they wait until after the holiday break; he has logged more than 21 minutes per night in each of the last five seasons.

Aaron Dell: “The Next Scott Darling”

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Much was said yesterday about San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell, after Pierre LeBrun profiled him on the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN. LeBrun compared him to a certain former Chicago Blackhawks netminder:

Aaron DellGenerating some interest I think, or at least people are taking notice. Could he be this year’s Scott Darling? The guy that goes from backup to number one. A year ago Darling was entering his UFA year getting a lot of interest. Aaron Dell, also, UFA on July 1st. Now, do the Sharks use him as trade bait closer to the February 26th trade deadline, or do they think about re-signing him as insurance to Martin Jones. We don’t know that yet.

At one point in the offseason, being labeled as this year’s Darling would have been a compliment. After all, Darling hit a big payday in Carolina when he signed a four-year, $16.6MM contract to become their new starter. It was a huge raise for a player who’d only been on a one-way contract for a single season, and had never made more than $600K in a year.

The comparison isn’t even fair on its face. Darling had been the backup in Chicago for three seasons, playing in 75 regular season games with the Blackhawks and posting a superb .923 save percentage. That also came with a five-game stint in the playoffs during Chicago’s 2015 Stanley Cup run where he admirably held the fort and went 4-1 with a .936. Darling had basically never shown anything but an exceptional ability at the NHL level, even if he did come by it later in his professional career.

Dell on the other hand has just 31 appearances under his belt in San Jose, and though so far they’ve been incredible—including a league-leading .939 save percentage this season—it’s hard to crown him a starting goaltender with such little experience.

Scott DarlingAnyone looking to place the mantle of “starter” on him should do so with caution, and you don’t have to look much further than the comparison LeBrun makes. Darling has been one of the biggest disappointments in Carolina this season, posting an .899 save percentage and allowing some unfortunate goals in the process. If he can’t get his game back together, that contract could look awfully bad.

The thing is, these aren’t improving goaltenders. Darling will turn 29 in a week’s time, and Dell isn’t far behind with a birthday in March. They’ve put on solid work as backup goaltenders, but starting in the NHL on a nightly basis is a different game entirely.

It’s true, that San Jose could use Dell as solid trade bait as the season progresses. We’ve examined recently how bad the goaltending market is right now, and that shiny save percentage should entice just about anyone looking for depth at the position. But come July 1st, signing him to a starter-type contract will be a risk. It’s not clear anyone will be willing to take it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 12/01/17

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The calendar has turned to December, and the NHL is flush with trades and rumors. The Ducks and Devils completed a big swap, but there was also a minor trade between old foes and a waiver claim that brought a familiar face back home. Today is expected to be filled with more transactions, and we’ll keep track of the minor ones right here.

  • As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have returned Linus Ullmark to the AHL after spending practice with the team yesterday. Robin Lehner was given a maintenance day, but the Sabres still wanted two goaltenders on the ice. Ullmark’s time will come with Buffalo, as he continues to impress in the minor leagues.
  • Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, the Penguins have reassigned Josh Archibald to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning assignment. The 25-year-old forward hasn’t been injured; he just hasn’t played this season. Through two months of the 2017-18 season already, Archibald has skated in only two games with Pittsburgh and had to this point avoided the AHL entirely. However, a total time of 21:38 of game action means Archibald needs to get his legs back under him in the minors if he is to be of any use in the NHL this year.
  • The San Jose Sharks announced that they have returned goalie Antoine Bibeau to the AHL, as he’ll head back over to the Barracuda locker room. Bibeau, 23, was arguably the biggest off-season addition that San Jose made this summer, but is still looking for his first NHL action of the year. Bibeau has a very impressive 2.04 GAA and 0.925 save-percentage in the AHL this year, but with Martin Jones and Aaron Dell putting up those kinds of numbers themselves in the NHL, it doesn’t look promising for Bibeau to see extensive big league action this season.
  • The Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson and forward Markus Hannikainen from Cleveland of the AHL, per a team release.  Both players have spent the bulk of the season with Columbus but had each been sent down within the last week to pick up a bit of playing time at the minor league level to stay in game shape.
  • With Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson heading to injured reserve, the team announced that they have promoted blueliner Ryan Stanton from AHL Bakersfield.  The 28-year-old has a single assist in 11 minor league games this season but is no stranger to the NHL having 120 games of experience under his belt with Chicago, Vancouver, and Washington.
  • The Lightning announced that they have brought back winger Cory Conacher from Syracuse of the AHL.  The veteran has played just once with Tampa Bay this season (on Saturday against Pittsburgh) but he made the most of it, scoring in that game.  As usual, he has been quite productive at the minor league level, collecting 15 points in 18 games.

Will The San Jose Sharks Make A Move?

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It’s hard to make an argument for any other team in the NHL as having a less exciting start to the 2017 off-season than the San Jose Sharks. Yes, the Sharks are just a year removed from a Stanley Cup appearance and have re-signed Norris Trophy-winner Brent Burns as well as Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Thornton, and Martin Jones since then. You can get excited about new deals for Ryan Carpenter and Tim Heed last month too if you like. Yet, other than re-signing their own players, what have the Sharks added to their 2017-18 squad?

We know what they’ve lost. Patrick Marleau, a career-Shark and the franchise leader in goals (power play, short-handed, and even strength), points, and games played, is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. David Schlemko, a 2016 free agency addition, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft and then flipped to the Montreal Canadiens. Micheal Haley (Florida Panthers) and Buddy Robinson (Winnipeg Jets) are also gone.

The only additions for San Jose thus far, as they look to plug the holes formed by lost free agents as well as improve upon their 2016-17 performance: left wing Brandon Bollig and goaltender Antoine Bibeau. Bollig, 30, is a physical, fourth-line caliber forward, but doesn’t produce enough on a consistent basis to be a regular player. Bollig hit his career-high in points in 2013-14 with the Chicago Blackhawks when he scored 14 points in 82 games. Soon after, he was traded to the Calgary Flames, where he scored just nine points in 116 games over two seasons before being buried in the AHL for the entirety of the 2016-17 season. The big winger posted 11 goals and 11 assists in 60 games for the AHL’s Stockton Heat, but still brings little to the the table for the Sharks other than grit and experience. As for Bibeau, the 23-year-old keeper was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Toronto Maple Leafs after a disappointing season. Bibeau had an .894 save percentage and 3.08 GAA in 32 regular season appearances for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and performed even worse in his one playoff game. Bibeau had clearly fallen behind Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo to fifth in the Leafs’ organizational depth chart, and so he was not retained. In San Jose, Bibeau will be no greater than fourth behind Jones, Aaron Dell, and Troy Grosenick and may never get another NHL start.

Bollig and Bibeau, two players destined for the AHL, are not exactly an inspiring pair, which begs the question: will the Sharks make another move? The team is far from perfect and could use some help. Jones and Dell proved to be a solid duo last season and the blue line is as deep as any in the NHL, but San Jose is not without needs up front. The Sharks ranked just 19th in scoring last season, and also boasted on of the worst power play’s in the NHL, below average face-off numbers, and poor possession stats. Burns (a defenseman) was the team’s leading scorer last year and tied for the team lead in goals, while the since-departed Marleau was fifth in scoring and third in goals. The rest of the top five scorers –  Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Joe Thornton – will return, but the 38-year-old Thornton is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, an injury that occurred after he scored all *seven* of his goals. Beyond those three forwards, the production dropped way off in 2016-17 to the likes of disappointments such as Mikkel Boedker and Joel Ward and young, developing players like Chris Tierney and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks have a clear need for secondary scoring, especially with Marleau gone, and could use a power play catalyst as well. Brandon Bollig is not going to cut it and a full season of Jannik Hansen, acquired at the Trade Deadline, likely won’t either.

Top options for the Sharks include Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, and Jiri Hudler, while taking a waiver on a veteran like Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, P.A. Parenteau, or Mike Ribeiro or on a younger player like Alex Chiasson or Brandon Pirri could work as well. Given the Sharks’ scoring needs, their sufficient cap space, and the complete dullness of their off-season to this point, perhaps maybe two of those players could find their way to San Jose. If not, the Sharks do have pieces to make a move to acquire a scorer, potentially a Matt Duchene or Evander Kane, if they so choose. One way or another, GM Doug Wilson needs to do something, and quick, or not only will he have a team that has surely gotten worse since the end of the season, but he will have a disappointed fan base on his hands as well.

Snapshots: Buffalo’s Coaching Search, Jones, Dell

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Communication. That’s what new Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill tells John Vogl of The Buffalo News is the most important thing in his next head coach. Vogl breaks down the four key lessons Botterill had learned from his time hiring Wilkes-Barre Scranton head coaches, including current Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan.

Botterill swears to look high and low for the next Sabres head coach, but would like to have one in place before the 2017 Entry Draft on June 23rd. That gives him just more than a month to find the best available name. Earlier today it was written that Washington Capitals assistant Todd Reirden may be a candidate, though it still seems like a long-shot given his previous connection to Dan Bylsma. Many others, including Phil Housley (Nashville) and Rick Tocchet (Pittsburgh) are still working in the playoffs and won’t leave their teams until they’re eliminated or win the Cup. It may be a mad dash before the draft then, if Botterill wants to speak to all possible candidates before making a decision. Last year the Cup-clinching game was played on June 12th, less than two weeks before the draft.

  • Kevin Kurz of NBC Sports takes a stab at what a Martin Jones extension may look like, positing that he’ll undoubtedly get more than both Scott Darling and Ben Bishop received from their respective teams. Darling got $16.6MM over four years from the Carolina Hurricanes while Bishop inked a six-year $29.5MM deal with Dallas.  Jones, who will be eligible for an extension on July 1st, has just one year remaining on his deal worth $3MM. Kurz thinks Jones will fall somewhere in the range of $5.5-6MM per season, though that would still be quite the risk given that Jones put up just a .912 save percentage this season. That number is fine, but puts him 20th among goaltenders who started at least 40 games this season. His playoff performance has been exceptional, but committing to a long-term deal will be hoping Jones regular season numbers increase.
  • Giving Jones a big contract also puts the Sharks in an interesting position with backup Aaron Dell, who burst onto the NHL scene this year with a .931 save percentage in his limited appearances. Dell is actually almost a year older than Jones, but will be looking for a raise after next season in line with Darling’s deal should his solid play continue. While most of the league wouldn’t trust Dell with a starting job just yet, Darling was a similarly late-blooming backup that has just 64 games started at this point. Should the Sharks lock up Jones this summer, look for Dell to be on the market next trade deadline or at the draft as a potential option for teams looking for a cheaper starting option.

Pacific Notes: Shore, Nolan, Dell, Marchant

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After leaving Thursday’s game against Toronto due to an upper body injury, Kings center Nick Shore is listed as day-to-day for the time being but was seen with his arm in a sling today, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.  He will be evaluated further on Saturday.  Shore is in his second full season at the NHL level and recently passed his career high in points last week; he has 12 on the year in 63 games.

Still with the Kings, left winger Jordan Nolan didn’t skate with the team at practice today and he is also listed as day-to-day.  The 27 year old has missed the last three games with a leg injury and the fact he didn’t skate today would put his status for tomorrow’s game against Vancouver in serious doubt.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • The Sharks are planning to play backup goaltender Aaron Dell more often down the stretch, notes CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Dell has made just 11 starts through 63 games this season and as a result, starter Martin Jones is on pace to play in nearly 70 games which many believe is too high of a workload.  To his credit, Dell has been more than solid in his limited body of work this year, posting a 1.88 GAA and a .935 SV% when he does get to play.  San Jose has five back-to-back games in March (the first set coming this weekend) so there’s a good chance Dell will get to play more regularly in the weeks ahead.
  • The Ducks recently added former NHL center Todd Marchant to serve as an assistant coach for the remainder of the season although he will remain their Director of Player Development. Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register outlines his role with the team, which will involve serving as an ‘eye in the sky’ during games while working with the team on faceoffs and the penalty kill.  That role should come as no surprise as Marchant was a strong penalty killer for much of his 17 year NHL career.

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