While Aaron Dell has been excellent for the San Jose Sharks, he might be more valuable to them as a trade chip
The San Jose Sharks are in a complicated situation. On one hand, they’re going all-in for a Stanley Cup. And rightfully so, as this could be Joe Thornton’s last season in teal. Also, with numerous aging stars, this could be the last run for the Sharks. In a way, this would justify San Jose starting a retool so they can avoid a full rebuild.
Right now, the Sharks have been led by their defense, which has allowed just 112 goals (fifth-fewest as of Jan. 17). Even with Martin Jones in a slump, San Jose still has the 12th highest team percentage, at .914. Backup goaltender Aaron Dell has a .925 save percentage in 18 appearances (13 starts) this season. This ranks fourth among goalies with at least 17 appearances.
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Dell is an unrestricted free agent after this season. This begs the question if the Sharks should trade him. There are a ton of layers to this question. Heck, there might not even be a right or wrong answer. Let’s look at both sides of this debate.
Why They Should Keep Him
As mentioned earlier, this season is likely the Sharks’ last chance to win a Stanley Cup for a while. And San Jose owes it to Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Brent Burns to try to win a title. You can’t write the history of the Sharks franchise without mentioning those four stars. All four are aging, so this is probably their last (and best) chance to win a well-deserved Stanley Cup.
Also, Jones is struggling. If he was a bit more reliable, the Sharks could probably find another backup and not lose too much. But Jones currently has a .913 save percentage and his 100 GA%- (which measures a goaltender’s performance against the league average) suggests he is the very definition of “average”. He has proven to be durable, but Dell represents the Sharks insurance policy.
Why They Should Trade Him
The Sharks are probably not Stanley Cup contenders with or without Dell. Why not trade him? Or at least be willing to listen to offers? This season, several contenders could really use an upgrade in net. The New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues are just four of them.
There could be other teams who aren’t necessarily contenders but enter the offseason needing some clarity in their goaltending. Maybe one of them would like a trial run to see if Dell is worth investing in. The Arizona Coyotes could make sense, in that regard.
If the Sharks could get something for Dell, who they’re likely going to lose after this season anyway, it’s hard to see that as anything but a net gain. Scott Darling, formerly of the Blackhawks, got his old team a third-round pick when the Carolina Hurricanes traded for him in May of 2017. Dell has even better numbers than he did at the time, so trading him would likely net them a similar return, if not better.
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Verdict
The Sharks should be in no rush to trade Dell. He’s an extremely reliable backup goaltender who might be able to save their Stanley Cup chances. However, Jones is the clear starter. So the Sharks should at least listen to any trade offers for Dell. In fact, they should probably be calling the Islanders and Blackhawks, seeing if either will give them an offer they can’t refuse.