Along with announcing the reported contract for Andrew Agozzino, the San Jose Sharks have inked two more depth players today. Aaron Dell and C.J. Suess are both coming aboard on one-year contracts.
Dell will be the headliner here, given his history with the organization. The 33-year-old netminder spent four years in the NHL with the Sharks between 2016-2020, appearing in 107 games over that span. He never has been able to recapture the form he showed as a rookie (a 27-year-old rookie) that first year, when he posted a .931 save percentage in 20 games.
Over the last few seasons, Dell has bounced around and struggled not only at the NHL level but the AHL level as well, making this signing a bit of a head-scratcher. The Sharks already have five goaltenders under contract for this season plus Kaapo Kahkonen to sign, meaning there isn’t much room for Dell anywhere. Perhaps this points to the team moving one (or more) of their more veteran options out of town.
James Reimer and Adin Hill, the two goaltenders on one-way deals, are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next summer and don’t appear to have long futures with the Sharks. With Dell’s addition, giving the organization another option for the minor league club, perhaps someone else is on his way out.