Controversial goaltender officially cut by the San Jose Sharks ahead of the 2024/25 season

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Tom Banks
September 23, 2024 (2:45 PM)

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The San Jose Sharks appear to be building a solid core behind some top draft picks, and now they have parted ways with the controversial Aaron Dell.

Throughout the years, there have been many controversial players to come through the NHL, and in recent times, few draw more hatred online for their acts on the ice than goaltender Aaron Dell. That hatred was defined by the injury caused to Drake Batherson back in 2022, and it appears his career has gone down hill since that point, struggling to find his way onto an NHL roster.

This off-season, the San Jose Sharks handed him a PTO, but early in training camp, he has now officially become one of the first players cut by the rebuilding squad, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.

Dell last played in the NHL back in 2022/23 with the Sharks before tallying a .914 save percentage in 12 games with the AHL's Ontario Reign a season ago, and at age 35, it's hard to see exactly where Dell goes from here.

The undrafted Alberta native made his National Hockey League debut back in 2016 with San Jose, and has since spent time with New Jersey and Buffalo, and despite a solid career .905 save percentage and 2.92 GAA, the controversy on and off the ice appear to be catching up to the veteran net minder.

Currently, the San Jose Sharks are in a rebuild led by the likes of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and more, so while the PTO wasn't the worst idea for Dell, it makes no sense for the present or the future of the team.

In net, the Sharks have Mackenzie Blackwood, Vitek Vanecek and Yaroslav Askarov, so they are certainly set in the NHL right now and for the future, so parting ways with Dell makes perfect sense, and without another NHL role lined up, it's going to be intriguing to see where the veteran goes from here.